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WELCOME TO THE AUGUST EDITION

OUR CONTRIBUTORS EDITOR’S LETTER

SARAH KIMPTON ACHIEVING NET
Vice President, Energy Transition & Innovation ZERO carbon
Development, Energy Systems at DNV emissions by 2050
Sarah has worked in the gas industry for 30 years and initially will inevitably mean
joined British Gas at London Research Station to study the physical decarbonising UK
properties of natural gas. Now working at DNV in Loughborough, Sarah industry – one of the
continues to work on gas quality with a particular focus on achieving net largest challenges we
zero by conversion of the gas networks to hydrogen. This includes the face on the path to
role of carbon capture and storage and the continued use of low carbon reaching this goal.
gases such as biomethane. She has a BSc and PhD in chemistry from To do this, we will
University College London. need a range of energy solutions to ensure UK
businesses can remain competitive while also
IAN PALMER meeting the obligations of a low carbon future.
Petroleum engineer and consultant Hydrogen will likely play a role in that future,
Ian Palmer PhD has worked at Los Alamos, The Department of notably as a way to help those hard-to-decarbonise
Energy, BP, and Higgs-Palmer Technologies. He is a contributor areas of the UK economy including manufacturing,
at Forbes.com and the author of The Shale Controversy. transport and even possibly aviation and shipping.
In this edition, we’re taking a look at the part
hydrogen could play and also the technologies
YOUR LETTERS that will be necessary to support a thriving
hydrogen economy, namely carbon capture
utilisation and storage.
JUST A FEW THOUGHTS grid thermal capacity was In addition, this Gi is packed with the latest
regarding the hydrogen rollout in more or less doubled due news from across the institution, including our
the coming years. I was involved to conversion. AGM, our Safety Conference and the Gas
in gas production from a variety The flame speed of hydrogen is Industry Awards. You’ll also get to meet our new
of fuels back in the early 1960s. I the highest of all the gases – President, our new CEO and our new cohort of
did much work to improve the approximately 10m/s. Section Chairs.
Shell process installation at Grain With the above in mind, surely We hope you enjoy the August edition,
and then with ICI reforming at the change will involve huge
Greenwich. Essentially, we were investment in additional grid
producing a hydrogen-rich gas at pipelines and local distribution
pressure, enriched with LPG or piping to achieve a stable supply
refinery gas to create town gas position? In addition, I would
(before the nationwide expect a requirement for SHARON BAKER-HALLAM
conversion to natural gas). considerable additional powered EDITOR
There are three main features compressors to carry the load. BA (HONS) AIGEM
I recall about the performance of Michael Tidd CEng MIGEM INSTITUTION OF GAS ENGINEERS AND MANAGERS (IGEM)
hydrogen as a fuel:
Hydrogen has a volumetric Editor’s response:
heating value of around 30 per While conversion to 100 per cent SEE YOUR WORK IN Gas international
cent of that of natural gas, so to hydrogen in the grid is some way
get the same energy though the off yet, the work to examine the We are always seeking to share the latest
national gas grid there will be a use of hydrogen at scale is already research and ground-breaking industry
volume increase of three times very much underway. To read the developments in IGEM’s journal. If you would
if the system is maintained at latest research into these issues like to see your work featured in the pages of
today’s pressures. and many more, visit our Gi, contact the Editor by emailing sharon@
The main advantage of natural Hydrogen Knowledge Centre at igem.org.uk with a short synopsis of your
gas over town gas was that the www.h2knowledgecentre.com contribution.

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