White Papers
Previously, we have discussed the importance of managing hydrogen safety hazards through Process Hazard Analysis (PHA) and understanding damage mechanisms on materials and equipment that are exposed to hydrogen. This paper will cover another aspect of hydrogen safety, from the perspective of consequence modeling and risk management.
Hydrogen electrolyzer facilities and liquefaction infrastructure pose unique safety challenges compared to traditional gasoline production. This does not mean that hydrogen as fuel is “riskier” than other fuels, but rather that a focus on safe handling and operation is key to developing this infrastructure safely and successfully. Facility Siting Studies (FSSs) and Quantitative Risk Assessments (QRAs) are powerful tools used to quantitatively assess consequences and risks from credible loss of containment scenarios resulting in explosion, fire, or toxic events, to onsite personnel and/or offsite population. Such assessments are used to objectively evaluate the hazards present within hydrogen facilities and to provide guidance and prioritization methods for mitigation measures that will be most effective in reducing onsite and offsite consequences and risks to tolerable levels.
In 2023, BakerRisk published a series of white papers on hydrogen safety, reviewing diverse perspectives on managing hazards and associated risks due to the presence of hydrogen, and utilizing various tools, techniques, and analyses. As hydrogen continues to emerge and re-emerge as a key technology and economy player, it is essential to understand how to effectively control hydrogen associated hazards and risks to minimize impacts on both people and assets. The first paper in this updated series covers the concept of hydrogen safety from the facility siting perspective.
Hydrogen has been used in petroleum refining, fertilizer production, chemical synthesis and many more applications for centuries. Throughout hydrogen’s use, releases have resulted in numerous explosion and fire incidents. Hydrogen is becoming more prevalent as a low carbon energy solution since it can be used both as an energy carrier as well as a replacement for raw materials. As hydrogen is adopted across more industries and applications, continued emphasis on preventing release and escalation is essential.
Test programs, such as those discussed above, have provided significant validation of the current methodologies used to analyze hydrogen hazards. Despite the enormous amount of work done by BakerRisk, the ERC, and others to understand the hazards associated with hydrogen, there is still more work to be done.
As the biofuels industry continues to expand in support of global decarbonization mandates and objectives, facility owners and developers are being challenged to balance production efficiency, operational reliability, and personnel safety.
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