The Hyloop+ project, which Enagás is developing at its Zaragoza Metrology and Innovation Centre, will transform the Aragonese region into a leading region in research into the transport of hydrogen through gas pipelines.
The project, which the company plans to start up in 2025, was visited this morning by the General Director of Energy and Mines of the Government of Aragon, Yolanda Vallés, who believes that "projects like this are very important for Aragon to remain at the forefront of hydrogen research".
In turn, Enagás' Technical Services and Technology Director, Pedro Rubio, pointed out that "this Enagás project in Zaragoza, which seeks to enable a chain of traceability in the measurement of renewable hydrogen, is being developed in collaboration with the German National Metrological Institute and is a pioneer in its field in Europe".
The Hyloop+ initiative arises from the deployment of renewable hydrogen and has been conceived as a research project, which includes, in addition to a platform for testing equipment, the construction of a calibration bench for hydrogen flowmeters, capable of operating with hydrogen and natural gas mixtures in any proportion.
The objective is, on the one hand, to obtain knowledge on the use of hydrogen in gas installations and, on the other hand, to have a hydrogen flow meter calibration service. This will be achieved through the development of a reference system, included in the agreement through which the Spanish Metrology Centre (Centro Español de Metrología) recognises the Zaragoza Metrology and Innovation Centre as a collaborating laboratory, allowing it to participate in the network of international intercomparisons of measuring equipment.
The project began in 2019, when Enagás became aware of the need to obtain more knowledge about the uses of hydrogen in current gas systems. In this first stage and with the collaboration of the National Hydrogen Centre as a technological partner, the Hyloop project was promoted, for which the engineering for the construction of the test bench was developed.
In mid-2022, the need to incorporate a calibration bench for hydrogen flowmeters was proposed, which gave rise to the Hyloop+ project, through the development of a primary benchmark system supported by the Spanish Metrology Centre.
On 7 December 2023, the application for a building and activity licence was submitted to the Zaragoza City Council and is currently being processed.
