Hydrogen by pipeline

For transporting hydrogen by pipeline, three principal options exist ... 

Economic Aspects. Most hydrogen sulfide is made and used captively or sold by pipeline at prices which are highly variable, depending on locahty. Production ia the United States exceeds 1.1 X 10 t/yr-It has been estimated that 2.4 x 10 t/yr of sulfur are recovered from H2S-containing refinery streams and 1.8 x 10 t/yr of sulfur are recovered from H S-containing natural gas (120). 

In 1969 Air Products Chemicals began delivering carbon dioxide and hydrogen to customers in the Houston area via pipeline. There was also talk of shipping methanol by pipeline. A 273-mile pipeline was also opened in 1969 to convey 660 tons/hr of slurried coal from Kayenta, Arizona, to a power plant in southern Nevada. A previous coal pipeline in Ohio closed down in the mid-1960s because it proved to be uneconomical when the railroads reduced their rates.5... 

DOT. 1994a. Transportation of hydrogen sulfide by pipeline. Department of Transportation. 

The analysis showed, with various "value adders" (e.g., oxygen sales and carbon-emission-offset credits), the cost of wind-source gaseous hydrogen delivered by pipelines from production point to distant markets (about 200-1000 mi.) at an untaxed wholesale energy unit cost will be competitive with market prices (in 2005) of gasoline and hydrogen fuel made from natural gas by steam methane reforms (SMRs). 

The produced fluids and gases are typically directed into separation vessels. Under the influence of gravity, pressure, heat, retention times, and sometimes electrical fields, separation of the various phases of gas, oil, and water occurs so that they can be drawn off in separate streams. Suspended solids such as sediment and salt will also be removed. Deadly hydrogen sulfide (H2S), is sometimes also encountered, which is extracted simultaneously with the petroleum production. Crude oil containing H2S can be shipped by pipeline and used as a refinery feed but it is undesirable for tanker or long pipeline transport. The normal commercial concentration of impurities in crude oil sales is usually less than 0.5% BS W (Basic Sediment and Water) and 10 Ptb (Pounds of salt per 1,000 barrels of oil). The produced liquids and gases are then transported to a gas plant or refinery by truck, railroad tank car, ship, or pipeline. Large oil field areas normally have direct outlets to major, common-carrier pipelines. 

Implementing CCS would create a whole new value chain of plants with C02 capture, of C02 transport and of C02 storage. Carbon dioxide transport could be performed by pipelines on land or in the marine environment. For marine transport, ships could also be used. Creating a new C02 infrastructure is a challenging task, similar to the build-up of a hydrogen infrastructure that s why a combined build-up should be envisaged, where possible. 

Figure 14.13 exemplifies the location of hydrogen liquefaction plants in Germany in 2030, as well as the transport flows of hydrogen by trailer and pipeline, respectively. 

Figure 15.9 shows the capital investments required for hydrogen infrastructure up to 2030. Onsite SMRs dominate in the early years. After 2025, central production, from biomass and coal, becomes significant, accompanied by pipeline delivery systems and stations. Later on, central production dominates in large cities, although onsite reformers persist in other areas. By 2030, the majority of capital investment is in central plants and pipeline delivery. 

The composition of natural gas varies with the source, but essentially is made up of methane, ethane, propane, and other paraffinic hydrocarbons, along with small amounts of hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and. in some deposits, helium. Natural gas is found underground at various depths and pressures, as well as in solution with crude-oil deposits. Principal gas deposits are found in the United States, Canada, the former Soviet Bloc, and the Middle East. The analysis of a gas sample taken from the Panhandle natural gas field in Texas is given in Table 1. Because numerous parts of the earth do not have natural gas at all, or where supply is less than demand, much natural gas is transported, notably by pipeline in the gaseous or liquid phase and across the seas in specially-designed LNG (liquefied natural gas) earners. 

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