DNV Releases Recommended Practice for Offshore Hydrogen Pipeline Design and Operation

DNV has published DNV-RP-F123 Hydrogen pipeline systems, a recommended practice providing guidance for the safe design, operation, and requalification of offshore pipelines for hydrogen service. The document supplements DNV's submarine pipeline standard DNV-ST-F101 with hydrogen-specific requirements and addresses risks including hydrogen embrittlement.

The recommended practice is intended for new pipeline developments and organizations considering requalifying existing offshore infrastructure for hydrogen transport. It provides evidence-based frameworks for assessing hydrogen-specific risks in design, requalification, and operational requirements—areas where projects have previously faced uncertainty regarding material behavior and design limits.

DNV developed DNV-RP-F123 through the H2Pipe joint industry project, which consolidated research, testing, and industry experience. The initiative brought together 37 industry partners including operators, manufacturers, engineering companies, and academic advisors.

Pipelines remain among the most cost-effective options for large-scale hydrogen transport. According to DNV leadership, hydrogen service fundamentally changes the integrity picture for pipeline systems and cannot be treated as a simple variant of natural gas.

DNV is launching Phase 3 of the H2Pipe JIP, which will include full-scale pipe testing at DNV's Spadeadam Research and Development Facility. The results are intended to support continued development of DNV-RP-F123 and future guidance.

Originally reported by Hydrogen Tech World. Read the full article →