The work programme will involve collaboration with a number of companies, identified in the previous conceptual study. These include industrial gas users and infrastructure owners covering the complete delivery chain.

The work programme involves packages of work aimed at defining the optimum network deployment Project in the Liverpool - Manchester area. It will include the essential demonstration testing to understand what hydrogen blend can be adopted in the existing distribution network including by industrial users. It will also consider the testing required for high hydrogen use. To cost effectively roll-out hydrogen blending a holistic understanding of the full network system is required. In particular defining the impact of the use of high hydrogen –gas use by industrial users on overall network operation and costs is critical to cost effective decarbonisation of the network. Network analysis to determine the hydrogen injection locations is also needed

Demonstration tests

Demonstrating testing of hydrogen use in furnaces and kilns and in boilers is required to understand the range of hydrogen-gas mixtures where hydrogen can be used, and operational limits and compatibility with hydrogen injected in the wider gas distribution network and that the potential for industrial users to help manage network demand fluctuations can be defined. Confidence in the use of blends, at the level proposed for the network (5-20% by volume) is required for these industrial applications as our industrial customers are highly heat intensive. The HyDeploy programme is trialling blends in a private network and a public trial is needed prior to adoption of a blend in the network.

Benefits

• Assemble a viable, investment project for H2 use in the Liverpool – Manchester network

• Develop feasible project configurations, including business case.

• Assess barriers to the use of hydrogen network blends including the ability of industrial gas users to utilise a network blend.

• Assess the ability of industry in being able to provide demand management for the use of a H2 network blend in the distribution network.

• Establish storage and transport configurations for CO2 to meet gas network needs.

• Assess the opportunities to trial furnace and boiler configurations for H2 conversions linked to the network.

Assess opportunities for blending on an open ‘public’ network.