CASE STUDY 1
Reducing emissions during pipeline commissioning
Case study: Reducing emissions through smarter gas pipe commissioning
- Project reference: NIA_NGN_476
- Project partner: ROSEN
- Project status: In progress
- Overall project value: £83,175.00
- Innovation theme: Optimised Assets and Practices
INNOVATION THEME:
In 2019, we partnered with ROSEN to explore ways in which we could reduce our gas emissions. The project identified commissioning of gas mains as one of our highest emitting activities, due to the need to purge gas through new pipework before reconnection.
The initial findings highlighted a key opportunity – that the standard purging calculation tables used by gas engineers, which are based on pipe diameter, could potentially be revised to significantly reduce emissions.
To explore this further, we re-partnered with ROSEN to determine how these calculations could be refined to minimise the amount of gas released during pipe replacement and upgrades.
As a result, we’ve developed updated calculation tables with shorter purging times. We are now preparing to conduct 10 field trials across pipes of varying diameters to validate their effectiveness.
If successful and rolled out across our network, these new calculations could reduce our methane emissions by 87,000 tonnes annually - all without any operational disruption or additional costs.
Lewis Kirkwood Innovation Development Manager at NGN
“This project demonstrates that continually exploring how we can make small changes to our day-to-day operations can have a big impact.
“If our field trials demonstrate that the new calculations work, we will be able to significantly reduce our emissions when we commission pipes. We will also be able to share our learnings with other gas distribution networks across the UK, so that they can reduce theirs, too.”
Key benefits
- The introduction of updated, industry-leading gas purging calculations, which can be adopted by other gas distribution networks across the UK.
- 87,000 tonnes of methane saved every year.
- A significant reduction to our overall emissions and environmental impact.
