EMISSIONS REDUCTION
Driving decarbonisation efforts with pipeline simulation The Australian Pipeliner spoke with Atmos International Senior Simulation Consultant John Anderton about Atmos SIM and how it helps pipeline operators in their decarbonisation efforts.
J
ohn Anderton has spent over 25 years working with pipeline simulation in varying roles from project delivery to product management, including two years working for a major gas transportation company in Australia as a business analyst. He specialises in offline and online simulation for the oil and gas industry and has worked with many major operators worldwide.
What is the state of Australia’s decarbonisation? As one of the world’s largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporters, Australia has recently reevaluated its long-term strategy for gas production to place an emphasis on decarbonisation.1 Decarbonisation is high on world leaders’ agendas, with nations at the recent COP27 collectively agreeing to meet net zero emissions and the removal of carbon from the atmosphere. Similarly, Australia’s ambition is to increase clean energy exports and support the energy transition.2 Once produced, hydrogen (H2) can either be burnt directly or mixed with oxygen to create fuel, with the only waste produced by hydrogen being water3. Hydrogen will play a vital role in the energy transition through its versatility as an energy source for industry, transport, grid firming, chemicals, and metal production. As well, the
versatility of hydrogen’s different production methods makes it a desirable alternative way for producing energy. Colour descriptions are used to distinguish between hydrogen’s different production methods, with brown hydrogen emitting the most greenhouse emissions and green hydrogen emitting the least (see Figure 1). Australia recently invested two billion dollars in the scale up of large green hydrogen4 as part of its campaign to be a global hydrogen leader by 20302. The region is also investigating in carbon capture, use and storage (CCUS), to support its decarbonisation goals.
Is CO2 a viable option? In Australia’s Future Gas Strategy consultation paper, which dictates objectives such as 43 per cent emissions reductions on 2005 levels by 2030, the Australian government presents carbon dioxide (CO2) as a viable alternative to fossil fuels in contexts like biogas for feedstock applications. The region plans to introduce CO2 as part of their decarbonization efforts, but the document acknowledges that there will be three requirements to achieve net zero by 2050: • Carbon capture and storage (CCS). • A reduction in leaks, venting, flaring and fuel gas use. • Efficiency and demand management. 5 Pipelines will be vital in the transportation of
Figure 1: Different types of hydrogen and their production methods.
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The Australian Pipeliner | November 2023
Atmos International Senior Simulation Consultant John Anderton.
hydrogen and carbon dioxide as Australia pursues its decarbonisation goals, but there are key factors to consider, which pipeline simulation software like Atmos SIM can help.
What key factors should be considered? Introducing CO2 and H2 to existing gas pipeline infrastructure has its challenges. For example, many materials aren’t suited for CO2 service and H2 requires pipeline infrastructure with little to no defects. Pipelines transporting hydrogen and hydrogen blends run the risk of hydrogen embrittlement damaging the microstructure of the pipes themselves and causing cracks that escalate into leaks, so work is currently underway to repurpose natural gas pipelines in advance of the hydrogen economy6. Atmos SIM can be used offline to test operational strategies prior to implementation.