【History of Haichuan Pipelines】Gansu Yumen Refinery completed the first medium-to-long-distance hydrogen transport pipeline

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Gansu’s first medium-to-long-distance hydrogen pipeline completed construction On July 4, 2022, news came from the Yumen Oilfield stating that the main line of Gansu’s first medium-to-long-distance hydrogen pipeline, built by that company, had been fully completed. This pipeline will continuously supply clean new energy – pure hydrogen – providing reliable raw materials for local enterprises to use, thereby fostering integrated development between enterprises and the community. This is also Gansu Province’s first medium-to-long-distance pure hydrogen pipeline. 　　The 83-year-old Yumen Refinery produces hydrogen, of which there is a surplus beyond what is used internally by the plant. In 2021, the Yumen Oilfield made full use of the abundant hydrogen resources available at the refining and chemical complex, and built and put into operation a hydrogen refueling station covering an area of 9,000 square meters. This station is equipped with systems for hydrogen compression, loading, and storage; the hydrogen filling pressure is 20 megapascals, the filling capacity is 3,000 standard cubic meters per hour, and the purity of the hydrogen remains above 99.9%. To date, the Yumen Oilfield has signed hydrogen supply agreements with 5 companies, and it is exploring cooperation opportunities with other companies interested in using hydrogen in order to increase the supply volume. At present, the oil fields have initially established a hydrogen supply chain in Gansu, Ningxia, and Xinjiang. 　　Due to the low volume of transport, high risks, and high costs associated with using compressed gas tankers, there is an urgent need to build pipelines to supply a steady stream of raw materials and meet the continuous production needs of enterprises; thus, hydrogen transport pipelines were developed. This hydrogen pipeline connects to the hydrogen filling station at Yumen Refinery; it is the first medium-to-long-distance pure hydrogen pipeline in Gansu Province. With a diameter of 200 millimeters, a length of 5.77 kilometers, and a pressure of 2.5 megapascals, its designed hydrogen transport capacity is 7,000 tons per year (approximately 10,000 standard cubic meters per hour). 　　Since the pipeline project commenced on April 22, the builders have worked tirelessly for over 60 days, overcoming difficulties such as numerous obstacles both underground and above ground as well as limited available space, to complete the main tasks on schedule, achieving full connectivity of the entire line by June 28. The official commissioning of the hydrogen transport pipeline has completed the ’last mile’ in the storage and transportation process. It not only solves the issue of finding outlets for the products produced by the refineries in the Yumen Oil Field, thereby accelerating the development of a regional circular economy, but also helps to expand and strengthen Yumen Oil Field’s capabilities in areas such as hydrogen production from new energy sources, hydrogen storage, transportation, refueling, application, and the manufacturing of hydrogen-related equipment. 　　In recent years, the Yumen Oilfield has accelerated the advancement of clean and low-carbon production in its upstream and downstream operations. It has made comprehensive efforts to develop renewable energy sources such as wind power, photovoltaic power, and concentrated solar power, while also investing in energy storage and hydrogen energy, thus creating an integrated development model that combines oil, gas, electricity, and hydrogen. The 160-megawatt renewable energy-based hydrogen production demonstration project at the Yumen Oil Field, which is expected to come online this year, is China National Petroleum Corporation’s first demonstration project to use new energy generation technologies for the production of green hydrogen. It is also a key project for the development of the new energy industry as outlined in Gansu Province’s 14th Five-Year Plan. The project involves the design and construction of a 160-megawatt photovoltaic power plant and a hydrogen production facility using electrolysis, with full operation expected to be achieved by 2023. The hydrogen pipeline project that is now under construction is an important supporting facility for the 160-megawatt renewable energy-based hydrogen production demonstration project. 　　Next, the Yumen Oilfield will further leverage its role as the leading enterprise in the province’s hydrogen energy industry chain, promoting the industrial application of green hydrogen in areas such as hydrogen-rich energy production, hydrogen metallurgy, public transportation, and logistics. The goal is to establish a green hydrogen supply center with an annual production capacity of 50,000 tons by the end of the 14th Five-Year Plan period.