Risk assessment for liquid hydrogen fueling stations

In recent years, consumers calling for the protection of the environment on a regional and global scale are demanding the use of vehicles that do not emit harmful exhaust. It is anticipated that one response to this demand is the widespread use of fuel cell vehicles (FCVs). in order to achieve this, it is necessary to provide hydrogen fueling stations where FCVs can refuel. A liquid hydrogen fueling station was selected for the purpose of this study as liquid hydrogen can be transported and stored in much larger quantities than compressed hydrogen gas. The facility of hydrogen fueling stations must be safe. In order to gauge the safety measures necessary for liquid hydrogen fueling stations we used a risk assessment approach. A large number of accident scenarios were identified using FMEA and HAZOP. The consequence level for each accident scenario was evaluated using data from liquid hydrogen explosion experiments. The size of the risk of the accident scenario was evaluated using a risk matrix and, in order to reduce that risk, a study was made into the necessary safety measures for liquid hydrogen fueling stations. As a result of this study, we were able to gauge the safety measures required to guarantee a high level of safety for liquid hydrogen fueling stations. (c) 2008 International Association for Hydrogen Energy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.