THyGA - Tightness Testing of Gas Distribution Components in 40%H2+60%CH4

The present work is concerned with the evaluation of the tightness of the components located on domestic and commercial gas lines from the gas meter to the end user appliance, in presence of a mixture 40%H2+60%CH4 at 35 mbar. The components were taken from installations being used currently in Germany, Denmark, Belgium and France. The current standard methods to evaluate natural gas distribution tightness propose testing duration of several minutes. In this work, the components tightness was first evaluated using such standard methods before carrying out tests on longer period of time and evaluate the potential influence of time, and the results were compared to admissible leakage rates for natural gas in distribution network and in appliances.