Hydrogen Safety

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Hydrogen Safety

• UI ChE/ME 404/504
• ISU Engr 499/599
• Richard Jacobsen
• Vivek Utgikar
• November 29, 2007

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Hydrogen Safety

• Hydrogen characteristics
• Basic hydrogen properties
• FCV safety systems
• Prevention
• Detection
• Isolation

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Hydrogen Characteristics
http//www.hydrogen.energy.gov/pdfs/doe_h2_safety.
pdf
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Hydrogen Characteristics (continued)
http//www.hydrogen.energy.gov/pdfs/doe_h2_safety.
pdf
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Hydrogen Characteristics (continued)
http//www.hydrogen.energy.gov/pdfs/doe_h2_safety.
pdf
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Hydrogen Characteristics (continued)
http//www.hydrogen.energy.gov/pdfs/doe_h2_safety.
pdf
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Hydrogen Characteristics (continued)
http//www.hydrogen.energy.gov/pdfs/doe_h2_safety.
pdf
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Hydrogen Vehicle Systems
http//www.hydrogen.energy.gov/pdfs/doe_h2_safety.
pdf
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Government Safety Objectives for Hydrogen
http//www.hydrogen.energy.gov/pdfs/doe_h2_safety.
pdf
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Government Safety Objectives for Hydrogen
(continued)
http//www.hydrogen.energy.gov/pdfs/doe_h2_safety.
pdf
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Hydrogen Storage

• Hydrogen storage is a key enabling technology for
  the advancement of hydrogen and fuel cell power
  technologies in transportation, stationary, and
  portable applications. DOE's efforts focus
  primarily on the RD of on-board vehicular
  hydrogen storage systems that will allow for a
  driving range of 300 miles or more. In addition,
  hydrogen storage systems for off-board
  applications such as the hydrogen delivery and
  refueling infrastructure and Power Parks are also
  being investigated, coordinated with the hydrogen
  delivery program element.
• This DOE Hydrogen Program activity is focused on
  advanced storage of hydrogen (or its precursors)
  on vehicles or within the distribution system.

U.S. Dept. of Energy Hydrogen Program
www.hydrogen.energy.gov/storage.html?print
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Hydrogen Storage (continued)

• High-Pressure and Cryogenic Tanks
• The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable
  Energy is developing and evaluating advanced
  concepts to store hydrogen at high pressures and
  cryogenic temperatures.
• Advanced Solid State and Liquid Materials
• The Offices of Energy Efficiency and Renewable
  Energy and Fossil Energy are working to develop
  innovative materials for reversible hydrogen
  storage including carbon-based materials,
  metalorganic frameworks, and metal hydrides, as
  well as approaches that are regenerable offboard
  such as chemical hydrides.

• Basic Research
• In Office of Sciences basic research program,
  the main focus will be on basic research needs in
  developing novel storage materials and methods.
  The broad class of storage materials to be
  studied includes various forms of complex
  hydrides and nanostructured materials.

U.S. Dept. of Energy Hydrogen Program
www.hydrogen.energy.gov/storage.html?print
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Sources of Information

• There are lists of references on various subjects
  in INEEL/EXT-99-00522 by Lee Cadwallader and
  Steve Herring. On http//www.osti.gov/ select
  Energy Citation Database in header and search for
  document number.
• 2007 Annual Merit Review Proceedings Hydrogen
  Storage http//www.hydrogen.energy.gov/annual_re
  view07_storage.htmlp_metal

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Sources of Information (continued)
2007 Annual Merit Review Proceedings -- Hydrogen
Storage The presentations and posters from the
hydrogen storage session at the Annual Merit
Review in May 2007 are available as Adobe Acrobat
PDFs. Hydrogen Storage Presentations Hydrogen
Sorption Center of Excellence Carbon/Sorbents
Independent Projects Metal Hydrides
Independent Projects Metal Hydride Center of
Excellence Chemical Hydrogen Storage
Independent Projects Chemical Hydrogen Storage
Center of Excellence Additional New
Materials/Concepts Storage Testing, Safety, and
Analysis Hydrogen Storage Session Review (PDF
583 KB), Sunita Satyapal, U.S. Department of
Energy
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Sources of Information (continued)
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Gasoline Safety

• "A new source of power... called gasoline has
  been produced by a Boston engineer. Instead of
  burning the fuel under a boiler, it is exploded
  inside the cylinder of an engine...
• "The dangers are obvious. Stores of gasoline in
  the hands of people interested primarily in
  profit would constitute a fire and explosive
  hazard of the first rank. Horseless carriages
  propelled by gasoline might attain speeds of 14,
  or even 20 miles per hour. The menace to our
  people of this type hurtling through our streets
  and along our roads and poisoning the atmosphere
  would call for prompt legislative action even if
  the military and economic implications were not
  so overwhelming...the cost of producing
  gasoline is far beyond the financial capacity
  of private industry...In addition, the
  development of this new power may displace the
  use of horses, which would wreck our
  agriculture.
• Walter F. Stewart, Congressional Record statement
  from 1875 in "Hydrogen as a Vehicular Fuel,"
  Chapter 3 of K.D. Williamson, Jr. and Frederick
  J. Edeskuty, Recent Developments in Hydrogen
  Technology. Vol. n, CRC Press, 1986, p. 132.

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Basic H2 PropertiesComparison with methane,
propane and gasoline
G.A. Karim, " Some Considerations of the safety
of Methane, (CNG), as an Automotive
Fuel-Comparison with Gasoline, Propane and
Hydrogen Operation," SAE Paper N. 830267
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Basic H2 Properties

• Safety Disadvantages
• Odorless and Colorless
• Low ignition energy
• Wide flammability range
• Low density and low dynamic viscosity
• Safety Advantages
• High buoyancy and dispersion rates
• No toxicity or spillage concerns

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FCV Safety

• Prevention
• Detection
• Isolation
• Containment
• Ventilation/Dilution

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Prevention

• Good engineering design
• Codes and Standards
• H2 Storage (NGV2, CGA, ANSI/IAS PRD-1, etc.)
• FC System (SAE 2579, ISO, etc.)
• FC Vehicle (SAE 2578, FMVSS, etc.)
• 3rd party certification/testing for components

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Example H2 Storage
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Example H2 Storage

• Certifications (including-not limited to)
• USA FMVSS 304 (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
  Standards)
• USA NGV 2-98 Approved (Natural Gas Vehicle)
• International ISO CD 11439 (International
  Organization
  for
  Standardization)
• Canada/Australia/UK CSA B51-97 Part 2
  (Canadian Standards
  Association)
• Complies to NFPA 52 (National Fire Protection
  Association)
• Germany TUV Approved

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Example H2 Storage

• Burst Test at 3 x safety factor of the working
  pressure
• Bonfire Test for fire resistance and PRD/TRD
  (pressure release device/temperature release
  device) release
• Pressure Cycling Test from 10 to 125 of the
  working pressure
• Drop Test
• Penetration Test
• Environmental Testing
• Chemical Resistance Testing
• Flaw Tolerance Test
• Shock and Vibration Testing
• Pendulum Impact Test

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H2 Leak Detection

• H2 Sensors
• Types
• Placement
• Controls
• Excess flow valves
• Active flow measurement

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H2 Leak Detection

• Types
• Sensors (Catalytic, Electrochemical,
  Semi-conducting, etc.)
• Acoustic
• Odorants?

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H2 Sensors

• Placement
• Adjacent to potential release
• Accumulation points
• Controls
• Multi-level alarms (25, 50, 100 LFL)

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Excess Flow Valves
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Active Flow Measurement

• Measure flow out of tank vs. fuel consumed by
  stack.
• Issues
• Flow measurement accuracy
• Anode H2 purge
• System buffering

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Accident Detection

• Inertial switch

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Hazard Isolation

• Containment
• Fail-safe (in-)tank solenoid
• Ventilation/Dilution
• Active
• Fans
• Passive
• Vents

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Ventilation
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Vehicle Comparisons

• H2 Vehicle Safety Analysis
• Comparisons between Gasoline, NG, H2
• Facility, garage and tunnel leak simulations
• Example Leak ignition comparison

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Vehicle Comparisons
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Vehicle Comparisons
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Vehicle Comparisons
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References to Vehicle Comparisons

• C.E. Thomas, Hydrogen Vehicle Safety Report,
  prepared by Directed Technologies, Inc. for Ford
  Motor Company, contract No. DE-AC02-94CE50389,
  U.S. Department of Energy, May 1997
• M.R. Swain and M.N. Swain, A Comparison of H2,
  CH4, and C3H8 Fuel Leakage in Residential
  Settings, Int. J. Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 17, No.
  10, pp. 807-815, 1992
• Swain MN. Comparison of hydrogen, natural gas,
  liquid petroleum gas, and gasoline leakage in a
  residential garage. Energy and Fuels
  199812(1)839.
• Numerous others

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General Conclusion

• a hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicle and
  dispensing system, with proper engineering,
  should be as safe as a gasoline, natural gas, or
  propane vehicle system. (Thomas, 1997)

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• END