Hydrogen.gov | A. Safety Design

A. Safety Design

1. Design Analysis for Standards Development

a) Fire safety

i. Flammability
Description: Determine real-world, hydrogen flammability limits. Goals: Support safety code development. Enable optimal system designs for safety and cost-effectiveness.

ii. Hydrogen fire analysis
Description: Simulate and analyze of the cause and nature of hydrogen fires in various scenarios.
Goals: Fire risk reduction, Non-luminous fire detection, Suppression

a. Storage

b. Transport

c. Refueling

b) Cryogenic design standards
Description: Materials are evaluated for safety and compatibility in cryogenic environments. Cryogenic hydrogen systems require unique standards.

i. Collect and review existing governmental material and vessel construction standards for hydrogen applications.

a. Reassess safety, codes, and standards based on recent alloy developments and higher volume applications.

b. Expand on existing data (including that of DOE and NASA) Description: Some of this data is quite old and was developed for smaller-scale applications

ii. Work with industry to identify gaps, compared to expected applications, and to remedy the gaps.

2. Safety-Related Sensors

a) Hydrogen sensors

i. Electrochemical sensors

ii. Micro-machined thin-film sensors

iii. Sensors based on oxygen-conducting ceramics

iv. Chemical sensors

b) Carbon monoxide sensors
Goals: Small, Low cost

i. Gallium nitride, integrated CO and temperature sensor

ii. Low-temperature amperometric devices

iii. High-temperature devices based on proton-conducting oxides

c) Temperature

i. Fiber-optic sensors

d) Pressure

3. Hydrogen Infrastructure Safety

a) Hydrogen Storage Infrastructure

i. Piping

ii. Pressure storage vessel materials

iii. Electrical systems

b) Fueling stations
Goals: Develop certification parameters and safe design parameters, including durability limits

i. Fueling interface / nozzles

ii. Hydrogen storage tanks

iii. Automotive fueling stations

iv. Truck depots

v. Transit bus depots

vi. Marine port facilities

c) Hydrogen transport vehicles
Description: Trucks and rail

i. Vehicle safety
Goals: Develop certification parameters and safe design parameters, including durability limits

ii. Container/cylinder safety
Goals: Develop certification parameters and safe design parameters, including material quality and durability limits.

d) Pipeline transport

i. Hydrogen leak detectors

ii. Pipeline integrity sensors and predictive analysis

iii. Risk assesment

e) Stationary hydrogen storage

i. Residential
Goals: Define certification parameters and tests

ii. Commercial
Goals: Define certification parameters and tests

f) Mobile hydrogen fuelers

g) Failure Modes and Effects Analysis

i. Develop potential accident scenarios and key data needs.

ii. Establish the protocol necessary to identify failure modes and mitigate risk.

iii. Model failures in detail in order to predict effects.

iv. Develop a database of critical safety data as a reference to designers.

v. Develop a comprehensive textbook on the best safety management practices.

4. Hydrogen Conversion Applications Safety

a) Portable device hydrogen storage
Goals: Risk assessment; Define operational limits and allowable quantity of storage for various devices and applications.

i. Personal use

ii. Commercial use

iii. Private transport

iv. Air transport

v. HAZMAT classification

b) Hydrogen-powered vehicles
Description: Includes light-duty vehicles, heavy-duty trucks, buses, marine vehicles, and locomotives Goals: Develop safe design parameters, including durability limits

i. Crashworthiness

ii. Fuel system

c) Auxiliary power units

d) On-board reforming units

e) Failure Modes and Effects Analysis

i. Develop potential accident scenarios and key data needs.

ii. Establish the protocol necessary to identify failure modes and mitigate risk.

iii. Model failures in detail in order to predict effects.

iv. Develop a database of critical safety data as a reference to designers.

v. Develop a comprehensive textbook on the best safety management practices.

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