Japan’s JFE Steel will partner with Exxon Mobil to develop high-pressure hydrogen pipeline technology, seeking to help shape industry standards amid the anticipated increase in demand in the U.S.
High-pressure pipelines can carry large amounts of hydrogen long distances. JFE and Exxon Mobil’s pipeline will be designed to withstand pressure up to about 20 megapascals, or roughly 200 times the average atmospheric pressure at sea level.
If the project succeeds, it will be a world first. Low-pressure hydrogen pipelines used in overseas chemical plants can handle pressures of several megapascals.
Development will begin this autumn at JFE’s research facility in Chiba, east of Tokyo. An electric resistance welded steel pipe with 2-centimeter walls and measuring 41 cm in diameter will be installed in a testing apparatus to collect data on material strength.
After development, Exxon will work to get the technology certified under U.S. industrial standards.
Hydrogen can cause steel pipes and welding to become brittle, making materials durable under high pressure a necessity. However, product development has not progressed as standards and testing methods for evaluating materials have not been established.
JFE Steel says it aims to discover the optimal diameter and thickness for high-pressure pipelines and it may be possible to commercialize them in as little as a year or two.
The project’s research and development expenses for fiscal 2023 will be about USD 180,000, part of which will be subsidized by Tokyo-based nonprofit Nippon Foundation. Once commercialized, Exxon will consider using the pipeline technology for its hydrogen projects.
The U.S. oil major is considering building one of the world’s largest clean hydrogen plants in Texas that captures carbon dioxide released when producing hydrogen from natural gas.
According to the International Energy Agency, less than 1 mln tons of clean hydrogen was produced globally in 2021, but that figure is projected to increase to 24 mln tons in 2030 if ongoing projects are realized. JFE boasts the world’s top market share for corrosion-resistant steel pipes and supplies many to the offshore oil fields. Its pipelines, which are resistant to extremely low temperatures, have also been used in resource development projects in Alaska.
