据管道&天然气杂志网2月25日报道，澳大利亚APA集团宣布了一个具有里程碑意义的氢气试点项目，以便将西澳大利亚州43公里（合26.7英里）的Parmelia天然气管道转化为澳大利亚第一条100%的氢输送管道。
该试点项目是APA在其探路者计划(Pathfinder Program)下的第一个项目——这一新举措将有助于开启未来的能源解决方案——并将使Parmelia天然气管道成为世界上仅有的几条现有输气管道之一，100%可供氢。
APA集团首席执行官兼董事总经理Rob Wheals表示，APA很高兴在澳大利亚首次将国际最佳实践带到该国，我们预计这将测试和证明现有输气管网以纯形式输送氢或与天然气混合的能力。澳大利亚已经在全国范围内投资了数十亿美元的天然气基础设施，考虑如何利用我们现有的能源基础设施来支持澳大利亚向低碳未来的过渡是有意义的。研究表明，继续使用天然气基础设施可以减少排放，而对客户而言，这一成本仅为天然气提供的电气化服务的一半。
未来燃料合作研究中心和伍伦贡大学已与APA合作，支持工程研究，以实现安全和高效的转换。
COAG能源委员会的国家氢战略建议之一是对管道进行氢脆反应测试。
APA的目标是2022年底左右完成测试和研究，如果成功的话，这条管道就可以输送氢气了。
Wheals表示，APA欢迎有机会与潜在的生产商和客户讨论拟议中的新氢管道可以提供的服务。
为了证明这条管道已具备氢气供应能力，APA将需要考虑正在与潜在生产商和客户进行的合作，以了解管道作为氢服务的基础设施和连接要求。
在测试期间，APA将与西澳经济监管局和西澳政府合作，展示氢输送管道的安全性，并支持澳大利亚标准的制定。
APA集团负责转型和技术的高管汉娜·麦考吉（Hannah McCaughey）表示，Parmelia天然气管道43公里的部分，供应南珀斯的奎纳纳（Kwinana）工业区，那里许多现有客户已经依赖氢气及天然气进行工业加工。奎纳纳是一个潜在的关键氢生产和使用地点，与一个大型工业基地和交通枢纽相连，有潜力有朝一日服务出口市场。
Parmelia天然气管道试点项目的启动是在APA朝着可持续发展的未来不断取得进展之后进行的，包括APA到2050年实现净零排放的雄心壮志。
大规模输送氢是实现澳大利亚政府氢经济雄心的关键部分，对支持西澳大利亚州政府到2030年实现氢混合比例达到10%的目标也很重要。
在测试完成后，该试点项目的结果还将为其他APA资产向氢气准备的潜在转变提供决策。
郝芬 译自 管道&天然气杂志网
原文如下：
APA Launches Australia's First Hydrogen-Ready Transmission Pipeline Project
Australia’s APA Group announced a landmark hydrogen pilot project to enable the proposed conversion of 43-kilometers (26.7 miles) of Parmelia Gas Pipeline in Western Australia into Australia’s first 100 percent hydrogen-ready transmission pipeline.
The pilot project is APA’s first project under its Pathfinder Program – a new initiative that will help unlock energy solutions of the future – and would make the Parmelia Gas Pipeline one of only a few existing gas transmission pipelines in the world, 100 percent hydrogen-ready.
“APA is excited to be bringing international best practice to Australia in this national first, which we expect will test and prove the capacity of the existing gas transmission pipeline network to transport hydrogen in pure form or blended with natural gas,” APA Group Chief Executive and Managing Director Rob Wheals said. “With billions of dollars invested in gas infrastructure across the country, it makes sense to look at ways to use our existing energy infrastructure to support Australia’s transition to a low carbon future.”
Studies show continuing to use gas infrastructure can reduce emissions at half the cost to customers than electrifying the services provided by gas, Wheals said.
Future Fuels Cooperative Research Centre and Wollongong University have partnered with APA to support the engineering research to enable the safe and efficient conversion.
The $3 million project will fund three phases, including: research and testing of the material for embrittlement in the laboratory, development of safe operating guidelines and full-scale testing on-site.
A new laboratory is being established at Wollongong University to test materials, which are representative of the pipeline, under pressurized hydrogen gas conditions.
One of the COAG Energy Council’s National Hydrogen Strategy’s recommendations was for pipelines to be tested for their response to hydrogen embrittlement.
APA is targeting the testing and research to be completed around late CY2022, which if successful would make the pipeline hydrogen-ready.
Wheals said APA welcomed the opportunity to discuss services the proposed new hydrogen-ready pipeline can provide with potential producers and customers.
Subject to proving the pipeline is hydrogen-ready, APA will then need to consider ongoing work in conjunction with potential producers and customers to understand the infrastructure and connection requirements to commission the pipeline as a hydrogen service.
During the testing, APA will work with WA’s Economic Regulation Authority and WA Government to demonstrate the safety of hydrogen transmission pipelines and support the development of Australian standards.
APA Group Executive for Transformation and Technology, Hannah McCaughey, said the 43-kilometer section of the Parmelia Gas Pipeline supplies the Kwinana industrial precinct in south Perth, where a number of existing customers already rely on hydrogen for industrial processing, as well as natural gas.
“Kwinana is potentially a key hydrogen production and usage location, linked to a large industrial base and transport hubs, with the potential to one day service export markets,” she said.
The launch of the Parmelia Gas Pipeline pilot project follows APA’s continued progress towards a sustainable future, including APA’s ambition to achieve net zero operations emissions by 2050.
Transmission of hydrogen at scale is a critical part of delivering the Australian Government’s hydrogen economy ambition and will also be important to support the WA Government’s hydrogen blending goal of 10 percent by 2030.
Following the completion of the testing, the pilot project results will also support decision-making for the potential transition of other APA assets to be hydrogen-ready.
