Hydrogen Pipeline Network Design: An optimization-based planning method considering the existing natural gas network

For the purpose of designing a hydrogen pipeline network, an optimization-based method has been developed. The method considers the existing natural gas network as an underlying topology above which the hydrogen network is to be designed and allows for the conversion of natural gas pipelines. The design method is structured as an optimization model nested within a local search. The gas flow hydraulics, topological and economic aspects constitute the optimization model building blocks. The chosen network instance and its associated scenario enable a scale-wise coherence with the Wasserstoffnetz 2030, a potential hydrogen network for the year 2030 published in 2021 by the German gas Transmission System Operators. The method creates a neighborhood of 190 candidate networks and yields an optimal solution having a cost of 6233 million Euro, corresponding to a 5.87% decrease relatively to the initial solution, i.e., the minimum spanning tree (MST) over the natural gas network. Its results are validated by the simulation software pandapipes. Its cost is coherent with the 6000 million Euro announced for the Wasserstoffnetz 2030.