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Questionnaire on Changes to Gas Quality Specification
Impact on Industrial and Commercial Users
Background
The gas network plays a vital role in transporting energy to consumers securely and cost-effectively. The industry is facing its greatest challenge since the introduction of natural gas in the 1960s, with new types and sources of gas and the need to reduce carbon emissions by 2050. Gas quality will play a crucial role in the future of gas in Great Britain as new sources and types of gases become available.
The Institute of Gas Engineers and Managers (IGEM) is working with the gas industry to investigate the impact of making changes to the Gas Safety (Management) Regulations (GS(M)R). This includes increasing the Wobbe Index range and the addition of hydrogen. Gas quality depends on the gas composition and this affects the physical and chemical properties including the way that the gas burns. DNV GL is working with IGEM to study how the proposed gas quality changes would affect industrial and commercial users.
The project will explore the effects of a wider gas Wobbe Index including blended hydrogen mixtures (containing up to 20mol% hydrogen) by researching the measures in place around the world to ensure safe and efficient combustion of wider specification gas. The research will also include the effects of rate of change of Wobbe Index. The industrial and commercial equipment examined will be greater than 1MW in size and the research will also consider any instrumentation which measures, or may be affected by, gas quality.
The range of Wobbe Index for this study is 45.67 to 53.25 MJ/m3 (compared with the existing GS(M)R range of 47.20 to 51.41 MJ/m3). This range is not exclusive and information within and outside this range will be considered. The project is collaboratively funded by gas transporters under the Network Innovation Allowance (NIA) – an Ofgem innovation funding mechanism.
The Purpose of This Questionnaire
Completed questionnaires will be company confidential but the data provided will be invaluable in assessing the potential impact on UK industry of a wider range of gas quality. We will study the types of plant and control systems which currently exist in the UK and whether these would need to be adjusted or modified to accommodate wider gas Wobbe Index limits.
We appreciate your commitment in providing the time to complete the questionnaire and we would expect the results to be published in the second half of 2018.
Further information and copies of this questionnaire are available on the IGEM website:
Please return completed forms by e-mail to by 15 December 2017 with “Gas Quality Questionnaire Response” in the subject field.
Your Combustion Plant Details and Contact Information
1. / A brief overview of your combustion equipment/controls and how gas quality impacts your businessCompany Name:
Your contact details (e-mail / telephone):
Business Category – please tick box that applies
Power generation / Combustion equipment manufacturer / Gas quality measurement
Controls / Gas as a feedstock / Industrial plant
Other (please specify)
Overview of how gas quality impacts on your business and/or your combustion plant, burner types, measurement equipment or controls:
Current Gas Characteristics
In Great Britain, current gas quality requirements (GS(M)R) limit the Wobbe Index variability to around 4 MJ/m3. Gases are supplied to the GB networks from several sources, and although end-users will receive compliant gas, the actual composition will vary on a day-to-day basis.
2. / Is your company aware of the gas quality characteristics of your natural gas supply (Composition, Wobbe Index, CV,etc)?Yes / No / Don’t know
Additional Information:
Please tick box if your response is confidential
To evaluate the potential impact of any change to gas quality limits, it is necessary to understand if current variations in gas quality give rise to any issues linked to process operation, plant efficiency, emissions legislation targets or excessive maintenance of plant
3. / Do you experience operational and/or commercial issues with the current variation of gas composition/quality?Yes / No / Don’t know
Additional Information or Details:
Indicative cost impact (if applicable):
Please tick box if your response is confidential
Current Gas Quality Measurement
For greater control of combustion systems and processes, some operators use either their own gas quality measurements or data provided by gas transporters. This approach can assist in optimising efficiency or process output, and provide possible cost reductions.
4. / Do you measure (or use data provided on) the current variation of gas composition/quality?Yes / No / Don’t know
Additional Information on the data you use:
Indicative cost impact (if applicable)
Please tick box if your response is confidential
Supplementary Points
4a. / Do you take any action when gas quality changes are measured or indicated by a third party?Yes / No / Don’t know
Eg. modify plant operation, reset burners, de-rate plant, alter plant control parameters, etc
Please tick box if your response is confidential
4b. / Can your plant accommodate current variations in gas quality (see illustration in introduction)?
Yes / No / Don’t know
Eg. modify plant operation, de-rate plant, control system adjustment, fuel flow control, fuel staging adjustment, etc
Please tick box if your response is confidential
Possible Future Gas Characteristics (1)
To extend the number of gas supply options, remove barriers to certain gases and increase security of supply,IGEM is investigating widening the Wobbe Index band to around 7.5 MJ/m3 (45.67 to 53.25MJ/m3). Current gas quality regulations (GS(M)R) limit the Wobbe Index variability to around 4MJ/m3
5. / If the gas quality limits were widened, would this impact on the performance and operability of your equipment for combustion, measurement or control?Yes / No / Don’t know
Additional information (eg. remedial actions, equipment modification or replacement, emissions impacts):
Indicative cost impact (if applicable)
Please tick box if your response is confidential
Supplementary Point
5a. / If you use gas as a feedstock for a chemical process would the wider range impact on your process?Yes / No / Don’t know
Additional Information:
Please tick box if your response is confidential
Possible Future Gas Characteristics (2)
In enabling a wider range and variability of gas sources into the network, there is the potential for rapid changes to the gas quality in certain areas. Although gas quality fluctuations are already observed today, the frequency and extent of the fluctuations could increase with a wider Wobbe Index band.
6. / If widening the limits also increased the frequency and magnitude of gas quality changes, would this impact on your combustion equipment, measurement equipment or control equipment?Yes / No / Don’t Know
Additional Information (please indicate if the impact varies with different fluctuation magnitudes or timescales – eg. Less than 5 minutes; less than 30 minutes):
Indicative cost impact (if applicable)
Please tick box if your response is confidential
Possible Future Gas Characteristics (3)
In thinking about future energy provision for the UK to meet the low carbon energy targets, the ability to add hydrogen to the gas grid could serve as an interim approach before the development of hydrogen networks. The current hydrogen content limit in GS(M)R is 0.1 mol%, but recent work has highlighted that up to 20 mol% may be acceptable for some end users. The addition of 20mol% hydrogen to a typical UK natural gas would:
- Reduce the Wobbe Index by about 2.5 MJ/m3
- Reduce the calorific value by about 5.5 MJ/m3
- Change combustion characteristics such as burning velocity, autoignition,etc
7. / If hydrogen were added to the natural gas supply at amounts of up to 20 mol%, would this impact on your combustion equipment, measurement equipment or control equipment?
Yes / No / Don’t know
Additional Information (please indicate if hydrogen impacts on your process in terms of both magnitude and over different fluctuation timescales – eg. Less than 5 minutes; less than 30 minutes):
Indicative cost impact (if applicable)
Please tick box if your response is confidential
Remedial Actions and Future Research Requirements
In widening the Wobbe Index limits and enabling hydrogen addition up to 20mol% there may be a need to:
- Modifycontrol and gas quality measurement systems
- Install new sensors for improved and faster response to gas quality changes
- Carry out extra processing or pre-treatment of the gas prior to use (eg. fuel gas preheating or fuel enrichment/ballasting).
8. / If the gas quality limits (Wobbe Index and hydrogen content) are amended, can existing systems and equipment be adapted or upgraded to ensure continued operation?
Yes / No / Don’t know
Additional Information (please provide details of the equipment that might be required):
Indicative cost impact (if applicable)
Please tick box if your response is confidential
Closing Statement and Thanks
Thank you for providing input into this questionnaire. Your contribution will help us to understand the potential impacts and costs of wider gas quality limits on industrial and commercial gas users in Great Britain.
Additional information (please provide any further details that you think would be useful to raise to inform the debate on gas quality):Please tick box if your response is confidential
Thank you very much for your participation.
Questionnaire-Gas Quality Impacts v6