Gap Assessment of Natural Gas Pipeline for Hydrogen-Natural Gas Blend Transport

The United States is currently undergoing a significant transition within its energy system. Today, there are about 3 million miles of natural gas pipelines in the United States. One way to potentially jump-start the energy transition has been the conversion of natural gas infrastructure to natural gas blended with hydrogen or pure hydrogen systems. In late 2023, ENTRUST Solutions Group was approached by an interstate natural gas transmission company to evaluate over 300 miles of their system for future hydrogen compatibility and continued, safe operation of the existing pipeline assets. Using existing code requirements, safety and operational codes and standards, legacy company documents, and engineering insight an evaluation of the potential for future conversion of service was developed. This presentation will discuss how we partnered with the client to work through how a future conversion of service could be performed while maintaining confidence in safety and reliability of the gas system. We will broadly discuss several key future conversion challenges and potential future mitigations.