We operate the first hydrogen blending station in the GasNet gas distribution system

The first ever hydrogen and natural gas blending station project aimed at reducing air emissions in the Czech Republic is the construction of a mixing station in Hranice near Aš. Thanks to a special technology, customers will now be able to use a natural gas mixture with up to 20 percent hydrogen. This is widely regarded as the fuel of the future as it is not difficult to obtain and does not produce carbon dioxide emissions when burned.

The innovative project aims to reduce emissions and uses so-called green hydrogen produced by electrolysis of water using electricity from renewable sources such as photovoltaic panels and wind turbines. It is a pilot project for GasNet s.r.o. to test the technology of blending hydrogen into its gas distribution system.

Specific management requirements

The control system was supplied by our company ZAT, which has long been developing, manufacturing and installing control systems for control and transfer stations in the gas industry.

ZAT is one of only two control system suppliers in the Czech Republic that can supply control systems for the country's critical infrastructure. "Important criteria for selecting a control system supplier for gas-hydrogen blending were to meet cyber security and functional safety requirements. The general contractor, HUTIRA, wanted a proven partner, so they chose our company," says Tomas Bauer, ZAT's marketing and sales director. We used the SandRA control system to control and monitor the entire mixing station.

Due to the extensive technology, the system had to be divided into several parts. Compared to standard control systems in gas control stations, this module is considerably more complex both in terms of the number of connected technologies and in terms of control and regulation. The control system includes mixing technologies, commercial metering, etc. "The ZAT control system and its development environment make it possible to simulate and, so to speak, tune these new modern devices very well."

The mixing station is connected to the GasNet gas distribution system and provides mixing of high-pressure natural gas with hydrogen. The mixture is then distributed to a control station that supplies end users. The entire plant is installed in a container, making it easy to transport and install.

This is the first experience with hydrogen for ZAT. However, Tomáš Bauer expects that in the future ZAT will encounter hydrogen more and more often, thanks to the fact that it is included in the strategy of the Czech Republic and the EU. "We want to implement further similar projects, also within the framework of the proven cooperation with HUTIRA," concludes Bauer.