As a zero-carbon energy carrier, hydrogen has attracted more and more attention. In the hydrogen energy industry chain, the safety and efficiency of storage and transportation is particularly critical to improving the quality of industrial development. Among them, hydrogen pipelines are a necessary way for large-scale and long-distance transportation of hydrogen.

In recent years, some companies, including PetroChina, have taken the lead in the construction and demonstration of hydrogen energy pipelines, and actively built a full-chain industry of hydrogen "pipe production and transportation". The main line of the first medium and long-distance hydrogen transmission pipeline in Gansu Province built by PetroChina Yumen Oilfield has recently been completed. Pure hydrogen feedstock.

However, according to the reporter from Seedao.com, China's hydrogen pipeline is still in the demonstration stage of small-scale projects, and further exploration is needed in terms of technical scale and policy norms.

The construction of hydrogen energy pipelines has accelerated significantly

"Safe and efficient hydrogen transportation technology is the premise for the large-scale commercial development of hydrogen energy. China has a weak foundation in pipeline transportation, liquid hydrogen, solid hydrogen storage, organic liquid hydrogen storage and other fields, and urgently needs technological breakthroughs." PetroChina Pipeline Project Zhao Liqian, director of the new energy innovation center of the company, said that among all hydrogen energy transportation schemes, pipeline transportation is the most economical choice for long-term continuous transportation. Using existing natural gas pipelines to mix hydrogen and new pure hydrogen pipelines to transport hydrogen is the most realistic and feasible solution. .

In June 2021, the feasibility study of the Dingzhou-Gaobeidian hydrogen pipeline project was fully launched. The pipeline has a total length of 145 kilometers, which is the longest hydrogen pipeline currently planned and constructed in China. In March 2022, the construction of a 1.2-kilometer hydrogen transmission pipeline from Ningxia Baoting New Energy Co., Ltd. to Ningxia Wokailong New Materials Co., Ltd. was started. It is the first hydrogen transmission pipeline built by Ningdong Energy and Chemical Base, which can transport 2 million hydrogen per year. bidder.

"In recent years, with the vigorous development of the hydrogen energy industry, the exploration and construction of hydrogen energy pipelines by related companies has accelerated significantly." said Peng Xuefeng, chief engineer of Sichuan Boneng Gas Co., Ltd., but at present domestic hydrogen energy pipeline projects are all in the demonstration and experimental stage. Among them, the National Pipe Network Corporation, PetroChina, Sinopec and other energy central enterprises are continuing to conduct research on hydrogen energy pipelines, and some urban gas companies are also exploring hydrogen blending experiments in urban gas pipeline networks.

The reporter learned that in terms of the construction of natural gas hydrogen mixing pipelines, there have been State Power Investment Corporation's "Chaoyang Renewable Energy Hydrogen Mixing Demonstration Project", the first "R&D and Application Demonstration Project of Natural Gas Hydrogen Mixing Key Technologies" in Hebei Province, and Ningxia "Hydrogen Transmission Pipeline". And the gas pipeline network natural gas hydrogenation and carbon reduction demonstration project pilot project” and other projects took the lead in testing the water.

Integrating hydrogen resources by means of pipelines

Soochow Securities estimates that the initial investment in hydrogen pipeline transportation is relatively large, with an investment of about 5.84 million yuan per kilometer of pipeline, but the transportation cost is low. Under normal transportation capacity utilization, when the transportation distance is 100 kilometers, the transportation cost is only 1.2 yuan/kg. The interviewees pointed out that the initial investment of pure hydrogen pipelines is high but the transportation cost is low.

Li Qingxun, deputy director of the Hydrogen Energy Research Institute of Petrochemical Research Institute of China National Petroleum Corporation, said that the construction cost of pure hydrogen pipelines may be about 3 to 5 times higher than that of natural gas pipelines. Amortization, so the scale of wind and solar power generation hydrogen production needs to be expanded urgently. "At present, hydrogen production is the core link of China's hydrogen energy industry. If the scale of hydrogen production cannot keep up with the development speed of storage, operation, and use, it will greatly restrict the sustainable development of the entire chain."

For large-scale hydrogen production areas, the layout of hydrogen pipelines can speed up the integration of hydrogen resources. Zhao Liqian, for example, in the Yangtze River Delta region, the use of offshore wind power generation in coastal cities such as Lianyungang as the hydrogen source, and the integration of hydrogen sources in Shandong, which can be used by Shanghai urban agglomeration Hydrogen; using offshore wind power hydrogen production in coastal cities such as Chaozhou and Jieyang in Guangdong as the hydrogen source, integrating the hydrogen source along the pipeline can supply hydrogen for Guangzhou and Foshan urban agglomerations, and can also connect the Yangtze River Delta hydrogen pipeline to realize the integration of coastal wind power hydrogen production resources.

Peng Xuefeng said that the hydrogen energy application market in eastern China is relatively large, while the northwest region is rich in renewable energy, and there is a serious phenomenon of abandoning wind, light and water. Hydrogen utilization balance.

Policy system to be improved

The "Opinions on Improving the System, Mechanism and Policy Measures for Energy Green and Low-Carbon Transformation" issued by the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration on February 10, 2022 proposed that, on the premise of meeting safety and quality standards, explore hydrogen-mixed transportation in gas pipelines, Efficient hydrogen transportation methods such as pure hydrogen pipeline transportation and liquid hydrogen transportation.

Despite the policy encouragement, the hydrogen pipeline is still far from large-scale construction and application. Peng Xuefeng pointed out that at present, because relevant functional departments still manage hydrogen as a dangerous chemical, there are obstacles to the approval of hydrogen-related projects. Therefore, most parts of the country do not require and manage hydrogen-doped natural gas pipelines as urban gas pipelines. Pure hydrogen pipelines Approval for construction is even more difficult.

According to the reporter's understanding, at present, only a few provinces and cities such as Henan Province and Shandong Weifang City have issued documents expressly encouraging the construction of hydrogen pipeline networks. Zhao Liqian bluntly stated that there are currently only 3 pure hydrogen pipeline projects of a certain scale that have been built in China, almost all of which are for the purpose of refining and chemical use of hydrogen, and there are only a small number of small-diameter pipelines for the purpose of fuel cell hydrogen. "The reality is that there is a gap between the performance of the existing hydrogen pipelines and foreign pipelines, and there is no complete hydrogen pipeline standard, and there is a lack of long-distance hydrogen pipeline standards."

In this regard, Peng Xuefeng said that at this stage, the construction of hydrogen pipelines urgently needs to break the policy constraints, encourage more capable and willing enterprises to carry out demonstrations of hydrogen pipeline construction, carry out data accumulation and problem summary as soon as possible, and formulate a series of regulatory standards to further promote the transmission of hydrogen. The promotion and popularization of hydrogen pipelines. Editor / Xu Shengpeng