NOV and H2C Win DOE MAKE IT Prize for Innovative Hydrogen Pipeline Technology

NOV and H2C Win DOE MAKE IT Prize for Innovative Hydrogen Pipeline Technology

This program encourages plans to establish manufacturing facilities for clean energy technology components. NOV and H2C jointly received $500,000 for their plan to produce double-wall FRP pipes, providing safer, lower-cost, and more efficient hydrogen transportation.

H2C's Safety Pipe™ technology involves a double-walled piping system with an inert "sweep gas" for capturing hydrogen leakage, allowing continuous monitoring for enhanced safety and efficiency. The installation process involves setting up the outer pipe first, followed by pulling through the hydrogen carrier pipe.

The collaboration between H2C and NOV has yielded a successful prototype tested by a major international hydrogen infrastructure company. This prototype demonstrated significant advantages over traditional coated steel pipes, including elimination of corrosion and embrittlement risks, lower installation costs, and full containment of hydrogen leakage. Their MAKE IT prize proposal aims to integrate the jacket pipe into the FRP pipe's fabrication, reducing installation time and costs while retaining safety and efficiency benefits.

"Since 2008, H2C has focused on delivering clean hydrogen in the most effective, lowest cost, and safest way possible," said H2C Safety Pipe CEO Robert Shelton. "With our patented pipe-in-pipe technology, we are revolutionizing hydrogen safety and enabling broader use of existing pipelines for hydrogen delivery."

NOV has increasingly focused on applying its deep expertise and technology to help advance the transition toward sustainable energy. Extensive testing of our product by two national laboratories in DOE-funded research has shown that fiberglass reinforced pipe provides several important advantages for hydrogen pipelines. We were excited to work with H2C on the prototype they built last year and to explore the possibilities for adding new tooling to make this product even more cost-effective. We're pleased by the Phase 1 award as recognition of these important advantages.

Lauren Lopez

Business Development Manager for Energy Transition at NOV

The MAKE IT Prize, developed by the DOE's Office of Technology Transitions (OTT) in partnership with its Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) and administered by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), aims to boost domestic manufacturing of clean energy technology components.

NOV and H2C anticipate that their safer and more cost-effective pipe will play a crucial role in future DOE Hydrogen Hub projects and improve the financial viability of other hydrogen initiatives.