Design Implications Associated with the Addition of Hydrogen at Upstream and Midstream Facilities
Posted on March 22nd, 2021
Posted in Newsletter Volume 1 Tags: Hydrogen
Hydrogen is a growing subject matter not just in the oil and gas industry but in the energy conversation. It is a clean fuel that does not contribute to greenhouse gases in the atmosphere when burned / reacted. While there are oil and gas facilities, such as refineries, that are familiar with the design requirements related to hydrogen, it will be unfamiliar to many upstream and midstream operators. If hydrogen is being evaluated as a new fuel source at an oil and gas facility, there are design requirements that must be considered during the project to ensure a safe and successful execution.
Electrical area classifications are assigned to places where a fire or explosion potential may exist, as electrical equipment installed in such locations could provide an ignition source. Area classifications are based on the flammability and auto-ignition temperature of a hazardous material, as well as the likelihood of the hazardous material to be present in a flammable concentration. A majority of upstream and midstream oil and gas facilities are designed for Class 1, Division 2, Groups C and D. The Class 1, Division 2 assignments designate that ignitable concentrations of flammable substances are not likely to exist under normal operating conditions. The group designations are related to the specific chemical properties of the materials present, such as minimum ignition energy and upper and lower explosive limits. Group D includes propane and methane, and Group C includes ethylene. Hydrogen is included in Group B due to its wide flammability range, so the area classification, and thereby design requirements, become more stringent when hydrogen is present.
Vendors use to providing equipment and instrumentation for the typical oil field Class 1, Div 2, Groups C/D area classification can easily overlook the Group B requirement. Oftentimes equipment and / or instrumentation with the additional rating requirements will be more expensive, making it easier to select cheaper, but deficient, units. Lead times for equipment / instrumentation may be similar with a Group B designation, but if selections are made that are not suited to the requirements, this could lead to project delays once the deficiencies are uncovered. In some instances, the operator’s preferred vendors may not be able to provide equipment and/or instrumentation to meet the more stringent area classification.
There may be difficulty in getting instrumentation with the right area classification, necessitating the addition of purge boxes which introduces another opportunity for increased cost and schedule delay. In other cases, vendors may propose “explosion proof” instrumentation to satisfy the requirement, but “explosion proof” does not necessarily mean the units are rated for Group B.
In conclusion, owners and designers should be mindful that the addition of hydrogen introduces complexities in project execution. The increased opportunity for error associated with the addition of hydrogen to an oil and gas facility means that all RFQs and bids must be conditioned especially carefully when selecting equipment and / or instrumentation. Owners should consider if a more nuanced Area Classification Study is warranted, which could add some complexity to the facility but possibly simplify overall project execution if hydrogen won’t be present site-wide. If hydrogen is being added to an existing facility, the operator must also review the existing equipment / instrumentation on site to determine if any modifications are required to meet the requirements of the Group B designation. Operators can expect some increase in cost and possibly lead time with the addition of hydrogen.
Andrew Depperschmidt is a graduate from the Colorado School of Mines with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Physics and a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering. He has experience in a variety of construction and facilities projects including both upstream and midstream natural gas and crude oil processing. He joined Halker in January of 2015 as the Mechanical Department Manager and has since taken on several different responsibilities with the firm, including General Manager and Vice President. Over the course of his time with Halker, he has overseen the company’s growth, helped develop the management team, and helped structure operational processes around project execution for maximum quality. He’s inspired by Halker’s outstanding team daily and takes pride in being people-focused while driving the company’s progressive and forward-looking culture. 
Kathryn Goodman graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 2011. She is a licensed professional engineer in the state of Texas and brings over a decade of mechanical and pipeline engineering experience to her role. Throughout her career, Kathryn has worked on both small and large-scale oil and gas projects in the upstream, midstream, and downstream sectors.
Jeff Wellen graduated from the Colorado School of Mines with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in business and economics in 2002. Jeff is a licensed professional engineer with over 22 years of project management, project engineering, and mechanical engineering experience. Most of his professional career has been in the Oil & Gas industry with a wide range of experience across various types of projects including gas treating, LNG, well pad sites, cryogenic processing, biofuels, and more. He has also worked as a field engineer to support construction, as well as in a fabrication shop to oversee module/pipe-rack assembly. As a member of the Halker team since January 2018, his breadth of involvement in various projects provides Jeff a strong basis to provide operation execution support for successful project execution teams through the trials and tribulations when executing any type of project ranging from technical studies to full EPC projects in the rapidly evolving midstream and upstream industry sectors. Jeff was named an Engineering News Record (ENR) Top Young Professional in 2018 for the Mountain States Region.
Jeremy Montoya graduated from the Colorado School of Mines with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering with an Electrical specialty focus in 2010. Jeremy is a licensed professional engineering in multiple states and has over 14 years of experience in consulting engineering and has working in nearly every sector or the business, from oil and gas to food and beverage, mining, pharmaceuticals, commercial and residential applications. Jeremy joined Halker in 2021 and has brought a passion to build up and support staff as they provide quality engineering and design services to every client we have the opportunity to work with. With an eye for detail, value and confident support- our EI&C group will continue to grow and be recognized for their expertise, attentiveness, and quality deliverables in every project. Jeremy has also volunteered engineering services abroad, helping with the design of water/wastewater treatment facilities and medical facilites in Kenya, as well as master plans for facilities in Mexico.
Austin Dean graduated from Colorado School of Mines in Chemical and Biochemical Engineering. He has experience in engineering design projects for well pad facilities, gathering systems, and midstream natural gas facilities. Starting his career at Halker in 2014, his roles and responsibilities have spanned Process Engineering, Project Engineering, Project Management, and Facilities Engineering. He specializes in jet pump artificial lift surface facilities and dynamic hydraulic modeling. Austin brings an E&P perspective to the Halker team, with a focus on project economics and larger implications of design decisions.
Paul Brennan is an industrial automation specialist, PLC programmer, business manager and product development professional. He graduated from Colorado Mesa University in 1992 with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. Paul now has over 25 years of experience providing industrial automation solutions and large-scale automation integration projects for oil & gas, water/wastewater, irrigation, and greenhouse industries in the US and Eastern Europe. Paul’s career has been spent developing leading edge, revolutionary automation products, and in the process, he has obtained several US Patents. Paul has notably designed products such as PADPro, PADManager, PROView and QLogiX for upstream oil & gas facilities, utilizing state of the art technologies with PLC’s and high-powered single board computers to provide advanced data collection and data processing at the well head.