Modeling and simulation of the future German hydrogen network 2030

Abstract

In 2020, the German gas network transmission system operators proposed a new gas pipeline network for 2030, aiming at transporting large quantities of hydrogen to address the increasing need for natural gas substitution.

In this thesis, the proposed grid is compiled and modeled based on geo-data, together with load profiles of hydrogen producers and consumers. The customer load profiles used in this study are based on steel and chemical companies that have announced their intentions to switch from natural gas to hydrogen by 2030. The producer load profiles are based on European and German electrolysis projects that aim at building a hydrogen production infrastructure by 2030. To model the impact of such load profiles, a mixed integer linear programming model is used. The aim of the thesis is to analyze the physical capacities and operating conditions of the proposed grid. Pressure and flow levels at production and consumption sites, flow velocities in pipelines, and pressure reduction at control valves are studied for a time frame of 72 hours.

The results suggest that three bottlenecks in the proposed grid could make it infeasible to transport the needed amount of hydrogen. Furthermore, the study showed that an import of hydrogen is necessary under the assumptions made. Lastly, a significant number of pipeline sections are not used at all in the scenario considered.