Project DisCO2very is the final phase of a suite of Carbon Dioxide projects, looking at how National Gas can repurpose parts of its network to transport gaseous-phase Carbon Dioxide safely. What started out as literature reviews and feasibility studies, will turn into, physical testing and demonstration. National Gas will be using its world-leading FutureGrid facility to demonstrate how Carbon Dioxide will flow through its pipes, delivering on its promise to further use this facility after our successful FutureGrid SIF Beta projects. We will also be completing carbon dioxide venting, ruptures and real-time impurity corrosion tests- all of which are underexplored.

This project aims to analyse the data that is already gathered by smart gas meters and use it for other purposes: 1)To identify potentially dangerous gas leaks in houses. This could be achieved by comparing real time data with previous patterns in gas consumption, while looking for anomalous usage. In particular, unusually large gas flows through the meter could indicate a leak inside the building. 2)In planned maintenance and construction activities on the gas networks. These operations sometimes require portions of the network to be isolated, potentially cutting off the gas supply to a group of customers. Historical gas consumption data could be used to allow more efficient planning and operations. 3)To detect appliances that are performing inefficiently. This has benefits in terms of energy efficiency for financial and environmental reasons. It could also identify appliances that are generating carbon monoxide, which has a health benefit for gas customers. 4)To detect potential problems outside the house, on the gas networks. If multiple customer meters detect issues, then it might be possible to determine gas supply problems or to identify leaks on gas mains outside the properties. The intention is to use the existing data assets and infrastructure and gas consumption data that is already collected for other purposes, and to provide another incentive for customers to install smart meters. It is possible that other utility usage data could be used in conjunction with the gas meter output. This technology could be applied to the current natural gas system, but will become even more important if the UK starts moving towards its net zero targets by introducing hydrogen into the gas distribution system. Establishing the technology and methodology to analyse real time gas usage data could provide safety and environmental benefits, without the need to install new hardware in each house. This is a critical step towards the use of net zero energy systems. If the UK's gas distribution network is converted to carry hydrogen then new gas meters would be required for each customer, so inclusion of additional functionality at this time would not be a significant additional investment. Standardising the data produced and its format, and the technology employed, would therefore be of benefit to future developments. It is expected that this technology could also have additional benefits, which will be recorded as part of the study for future evaluation.

Carbon dioxide is a major greenhouse gas and methods of capturing these emissions from power stations and industry are being developed. Studies have shown that without capturing our carbon emissions it will be very much more expensive to meet our decarbonisation commitments. However the changing mix of power plant and growing role of renewable technologies is making conventional carbon capture processes appear less attractive while industrial application is restricted by process complexity and high costs. The future generation mix will comprise renewable and nuclear generation supported by fossil fuelled power stations working when power from nuclear and intermittent sources cannot meet demand. PMW Technology has brought together concepts from other sectors to create a disruptive carbon capture technology that is about half the cost of the alternatives when applied to this future generation mix. Working with academics from Chester and Sheffield Universities and industrial partners, PMW Technology will validate the process and map its characteristics to target future development on the most effective design to remove carbon cheaply.

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