The test uses liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHC) – organic compounds that can absorb and release hydrogen through chemical reactions – to transport and store hydrogen in liquid form, the company said on Wednesday 13 November, 2024, in what it says is a world first.

The aim is to tackle a key issue of the hydrogen economy: how to safely transport it to end users at reasonable cost.

Reusing existing fossil fuel storage and pipelines would help speed up the deployment of green hydrogen, the company said. So-called green hydrogen is produced using renewable energy.

Exolum, partly owned by buyout fund CVC, Australian asset manager Macquarie, Canadian pension fund OMERS, and French bank Credit Agricole will use its infrastructure at the British freight port of Immingham.

Under the project, which the British government supported with £505 000(US$647,000), some 400 m3 of LOHC containing 20 metric t of hydrogen will be transported through a 1.5 km (0.9 mile) pipeline.

Early next year, the company plans to publish a report with potential costs and benefits of the system.

Read the latest issue of World Pipelines magazine for pipeline news, project stories, industry insight and technical articles.

World Pipelines’ November 2024 issue

The November 2024 issue of World Pipelines includes a keynote section on pipelines in South America, and technical articles on pipeline monitoring, cathodic protection, coatings repair, pipeline pigging, leak detection and pipeline materials. Also featured is the annual Welding Q&A.

Read the article online at: https://www.worldpipelines.com/business-news/13112024/exolum-tests-using-oil-infrastructure-for-green-hydrogen-in-britain/