The Hydrogen Safety Program of the U.S. Department of Energy

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1 The Hydrogen Safety Program of the U.S. Department of Energy Kinzey, Bruce R a, Davis, Patrick b, Ruiz, Antonio b a Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 901 D Street, SW Suite 900 Washington, DC 20024, Bruce.Kinzey@pnl.gov b U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Ave., SW Washington DC Patrick.Davis@hq.doe.gov, Antonio.Ruiz@hq.doe.gov ABSTRACT: Demonstrated safety in the production, distribution and use of hydrogen will be critical to successful implementation of a hydrogen infrastructure. Recognizing the importance of this issue, the U.S. Department of Energy has established the Hydrogen Safety, Codes and Standards Program to ensure safe operations in every aspect of its hydrogen research and development program, as well as to identify and address needs for new knowledge and technologies. Throughout its activities, the Safety, Codes and Standards Program encourages the open sharing of information to enable widespread benefit from any lessons learned or new information developed. This paper provides detailed descriptions of the various activities of the DOE Program and includes some example impacts already achieved from its implementation. KEYWORDS : safety, government, codes, incidents, international 1

2 I. Introduction Safety in a global hydrogen economy is critical. The public has long experienced, and now come to expect, a high degree of safety in all of its energy systems. Hydrogen must offer comparable performance if it is to flourish as a future fuel option. In the preliminary stages of the Hydrogen Economy, a loss of public confidence could significantly delay or even preclude further progress. All energy systems carry some level of inherent risk, including hydrogen. As with other fuels, hydrogen can be used safely with appropriate engineering and handling techniques. However, a lack of familiarity with hydrogen s characteristics can amplify or distort the public s perception of risk. Consequently, relatively minor hydrogen incidents have the potential to attract disproportionate negative public attention. Recognizing the relationship between perceived safety and public confidence, the United States Department of Energy (DOE) strongly emphasizes safety in all aspects of its hydrogen research, development and demonstration effort. The program vision is long-range. The extensive safety information and techniques being developed and implemented now will pay dividends far into the future. This document describes the DOE Hydrogen Safety program. The Program s primary emphases include ensuring safety in DOE s own efforts, facilitating safe operation of a present and future U.S. hydrogen infrastructure, and encouraging a consistent and uniformly safe global hydrogen infrastructure. II. Goal and Approach of the Safety Program The stated goal of the program is twofold: First, to develop and implement practices and procedures to ensure safe operation, handling and use of hydrogen and hydrogen systems for all DOE projects; and second, to utilize these practices and lessons learned to promote the safe use of hydrogen throughout the emerging hydrogen economy. This goal is pursued through a multi-faceted approach: Working closely with all elements of the DOE Hydrogen Program DOE hydrogen and fuel cell vehicle activities are jointly managed by the Office of Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and Infrastructure Technologies (HFCIT) and the FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership. The Safety program interacts with all activities; program managers and principal investigators work closely with DOE staff to ensure that safe practices are maintained across the board. Encouraging extensive communication and information sharing Communication and information-sharing is a major component of the Safety program, both internally and in interactions with external audiences. Sharing lessons learned, best practices and results of related safety incident investigations maximizes the benefit from this information. HFCIT strives to be as forthcoming as the proprietary concerns of its partners allow. Collaborating with other national and international organizations Hydrogen and hydrogen safety are receiving global attention and the United States stands to significantly contribute to and benefit from interaction with the international community. The Hydrogen Safety program therefore emphasizes both national and international collaboration through different projects and partnerships. These activities are discussed in greater detail later in this paper. III. Key Components of DOE Activity Safety activities are necessarily broad-based due to the breadth of issues that must be addressed. Safety is only one component of the larger Safety, Codes and Standards 2

3 program activity in HFCIT. To manage and organize this diverse effort, sub-tier activities are divided among four U.S. National Laboratories. The Labs work closely together under DOE supervision, sharing information and results as needed to achieve program goals. The general division of responsibilities are as follows: Sandia National Laboratory conducts testing and experimentation of hydrogen, hydrogen behavior, materials compatibility, and other areas to provide data for safe design of hydrogen systems and effective codes and standards. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory is responsible for most of HFCIT interactions with domestic codes and standards organizations related to hydrogen. Los Alamos National Laboratory conducts interaction with international codes and standards bodies to help harmonize U.S. activities with those of the international community. Finally, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is responsible for project safety reviews, incident reporting, education and training of emergency responders, and production of related hydrogen safety documents. Ensuring safety in DOE s own programs Despite the international attention it has received, the pursuit of hydrogen as an energy carrier for widespread commercial use is a relatively recent endeavor. However, hydrogen has been safely used for decades in industrial and aerospace applications and a great deal of relevant knowledge exists. HFCIT attempts to capture as much previous experience as possible and encourages the development and documentation of new hydrogen safety information through a number of related activities. DOE-supported projects and programs can leverage this information to ensure that hydrogen-related risks are minimized and benefits from sharing lessons and experiences are maximized. Hydrogen Safety Review Panel Drawing from the wealth of expertise in hydrogen usage in industry and aerospace, DOE has assembled a panel of experts in hydrogen safety and related fields. The Hydrogen Safety Review Panel (HSRP) presently consists of the 11 members shown in Table 1. The Panel s primary responsibility is to provide expert guidance on safety and hazard mitigation in the DOE program. For example, it conducts reviews of Project Safety Plans for all hydrogen activities supported with DOE funding (see discussion below). Following its reviews, the HSRP may make recommendations for improving safety practices, where appropriate. Table 1. U.S. Department of Energy Hydrogen Safety Review Panel Addison Bain NASA Harold Beeson NASA White Sands Don Frikken, Chair Becht Engineering Dave Farese Air Products and Chemicals Richard Kallman City of Santa Fe Springs, CA Michael Pero Hydrogen Safety, LLC Harold Phillippi ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Jesse Schneider DaimlerChrysler Andrew Sherman Powdermet, Inc. R. Rhoads Stephenson Motor Vehicle Fire Research Institute Robert Zalosh Worcester Polytechnic Institute Steven C. Weiner, Coordinator Pacific Northwest National Laboratory The HSRP may also conduct telephone interviews or project site visits to gather additional information and insight. Projects are selected for additional attention based on a variety of criteria that are not necessarily associated with a greater perception of risk. For example, a particular project review may yield lessons with especially wide-ranging applicability to other projects. 3

4 All project review information, including recommendations made by the HSRP, concerns raised, subsequent actions taken by the contractor or further discussion, etc., are documented to produce best practices and lessons learned. All company-specific or proprietary information is handled confidentially. The communicated information will comprise a large safety database to benefit all organizations conducting hydrogen research and development, and related hydrogen work. One example of information sharing is the Handbook of Hydrogen Safety Best Practices, due in Project Safety Plans and Safety Reporting All DOE hydrogen solicitations now require contract awardees to submit a safety plan within 90 days of award as a deliverable under their DOE-funded project. Elements of the safety plan are detailed in Guidance for Safety Aspects of Proposed Hydrogen Projects, on the DOE website. The DOE and HSRP reviews it for completeness and content and makes recommendations for improvement, if needed. Under most circumstances, the plan can be composed and submitted in parallel with project work; i.e., preparation of a plan is not intended to hinder progress of the project while waiting for approval to proceed. Incident reporting is a new requirement for DOE-funded projects that will provide a variety of benefits to the program. HFCIT is establishing an internal reporting database system to share lessons learned that may help prevent future incidents. Confidentiality is protected by omitting company specifics and project identifiers. Sharing event descriptions, circumstances, mitigating actions taken and corresponding results, etc., is critical for advancing the state-of-the-art in safety knowledge and techniques. An incident is defined as an event that results in a lost-time accident and/or injury to personnel, damage and/or unplanned downtime for project equipment, facilities or property, impact to the public or environment, any hydrogen release that unintentionally ignites or is sufficient to sustain a flame if ignited, any hydrogen release which accumulates above the lower flammability limits within an enclosed space. A near-miss is defined as an event that under slightly different circumstances could have become an Incident. DOE Merit Review Process Each year HFCIT requires its R&D contractors to participate in a peer review process. Each contractor presents their annual progress report using a template provided that is intended to highlight the project s relevance to the goals of the program. Numerous peer reviewers and other observers from the private sector and government attend the presentations and make recommendations on the individual projects. A Hydrogen Safety component was added to the peer review template in As a result, all projects must now provide information identifying perceived safety hazards and mitigation measures. This addition has raised the visibility of safety in all DOE projects, including those under contract prior to the Safety Plan Submission requirement. The mandate serves as an ongoing safety reminder to research and program staff. Expanding the knowledge underlying hydrogen safety A number of activities are pursued to develop safety-related information and technologies to make the hydrogen economy possible beyond the laboratory or demonstration phase. Some of these research and investigation areas are described below. Risk Assessment Risk is a quantitative measure of what can go wrong in a system and the corresponding probability of such an occurrence. Risk assessment is a process of evaluating all risks of a system to mitigate or eliminate them where possible and minimize overall risk. Risk assessment underlies most safety-related codes and standards. 4

5 Data-intensive methodologies for identifying and addressing risk have become common evaluation tools for technologies and systems with no established history of actual use. HFCIT examines data needs pertaining to hydrogen systems and identifies tests and experiments to fill those needs. A series of expert workshops has highlighted areas of insufficient data and identified areas of research needed. Some areas include newly developed hydrogen technologies like public/refueling interfaces, fuel delivery and pressure release devices and emergency response modes. The program supports its own research and promotes collaborative research with others. DOE serves as the central data acquisition point for its industry partners. Data collected will ultimately inform the definitive source document for hydrogen systems risk assessment. Hydrogen Characteristics/Behavior Investigation Activities supported by the Program focus on investigating basic hydrogen properties and behavior and testing materials and components for standards development. For example, the length and shape of an ignited escaping hydrogen gas flame help inform refueling station design criteria like separation distance requirements. Recent research has investigated the characteristics of hydrogen jet flames to learn more about their shape and heat radiation. HFCIT is also supporting a comparative study of the properties of hydrogen and other fuels that are widely accepted, such as gasoline, natural gas, and propane. Data from this study will be used to develop a predictive, validated model to determine the response of composite cylinders in accident scenarios. Materials Compatibility DOE has completed several sections of a Materials Compatibility Guide to help design hydrogen systems. A Materials Guide is essential for developing codes and standards for stationary hydrogen use, hydrogen vehicles, refueling stations, and hydrogen transportation. Materials data is needed on deformation, fracture, fatigue, and impact loading of metals in hydrogen environments. To ensure the safe design of load- and pressure-bearing structures, high-priority research areas include the impacts of hydrogen on material properties such as yield and tensile strengths, fracture toughness and threshold stress-intensity factors, fatigue crack growth rates and fatigue thresholds, and impact energy. Preparing the nation for transition Education and information dissemination are important priorities of the DOE program because hydrogen has not previously been used as a commercial fuel. Some activities are described below. Emergency Responder Training and Education Hydrogen s properties, behavior and related safety issues and technologies are not widely understood by the public. In this context, the relevant public includes regulatory authorities (both those who make laws and those who enforce them), emergency responders, operations and maintenance staff, installers, and others involved in the safe implementation and operation of hydrogen infrastructure. Lack of awareness in these audiences presents a formidable barrier to implementation. These groups are large; there are more than 1 million fire fighters in the U.S. alone. Training groups on this scale will require significant time and resource investment. The DOE Volpentest Hazardous Materials Management and Emergency Response (HAMMER) Training and Education Center in southeastern Washington State leads a training in hydrogen safety for emergency responders. HAMMER will develop and provide both classroom curricula and hands-on training using various life-size props. The curricula and materials developed will eventually be exported to other sites through train the trainer activities as well as satellite- and computer-based training techniques. Because different audiences have different training needs, the program anticipates offering a menu of education and training options that will range across basic hydrogen properties and behavior; design, inspection and approval of hydrogen systems; installation, maintenance and operation of hydrogen and fuel cell systems; and appropriate emergency response procedures. 5

6 Hydrogen Safety Best Practices HFCIT will publish a Handbook of Hydrogen Safety Best Practices in 2008 that will also include any Lessons Learned from experiences of the program. As the HSRP continues to review project safety plans and conduct site visit reviews, some common themes and general observations have emerged. In addition, the program anticipates that many valuable insights will be derived from the incident reporting database. This database could help to inform future material selection, physical barrier separation, and design criteria, for example. Hydrogen Safety Communications for the General Public A recent National Academy of Sciences (NAS) review of the DOE hydrogen and fuel cell program concludes: implementing the current program vision will require not only substantial technical breakthroughs but also successful efforts to address public concerns about the widespread use of hydrogen as a transportation fuel. The HFCIT program recognizes the critical importance of public perception on the viability of a future hydrogen infrastructure. Communication addresses public concerns through two primary means: 1) Open sharing of all safety-related information, including incident reports, to the maximum extent that confidentiality allows; and 2) Targeted information packages intended to educate the public on hydrogen s qualities and characteristics to show that with proper handling, hydrogen is no more dangerous than other commonly used fuels and perhaps less so in many situations. Bibliographic Database on Hydrogen Safety HFCIT has developed a web-based bibliographic database that is intended to provide easy public access to a wide range of hydrogen safety information. The website contains either copies of or links to numerous reports, articles, books and other resources, with an emphasis towards materials developed within the most recent five year period. The database includes references related to the following topics: Hydrogen properties and behavior Safe operating and handling procedures Leaks, dispersion, and flammable vapor cloud formation Embrittlement and other effects on material properties Fuel cells and other energy conversion technologies Sensors, tracers, and leak detection technologies Accidents and incidents involving hydrogen Codes and Standards for Hydrogen Safety The development of codes and standards are essential if hydrogen is to become a significant energy carrier and fuel. With the help of key stakeholders, HFCIT coordinates a collaborative national effort with government and industry to prepare, review, and promulgate hydrogen codes and standards to expedite hydrogen infrastructure development. HFCIT has also created a National Template establishing wide ranging collaborations among all of the major codes and standards development organizations. This consensus-based template identifies organizations and their responsibilities in the hydrogen codes and standards development process. HFCIT is currently working on an International Template to harmonize hydrogen codes and standards on a global basis. Development of essential safety technologies DOE's safety activities related to technology R&D are primarily focused in the area of hydrogen sensors for detecting hydrogen leaks, which pose a safety concern for hydrogen and fuel cell systems. Leak sensors and related hardware must be sensitive enough to provide a safe and reliable alarm system, while also being robust, easily manufactured and reasonably priced (see Table 2). Meeting all of these criteria simultaneously poses a significant technical challenge. DOE is thus sponsoring research to resolve these issues. Several different types of sensors are under investigation. 6

7 Table 2. DOE-proposed specific targets for transportation safety sensors. Measurement range % Operating temperature -30 to +80 C Response time Under one second Accuracy 5% of full scale Gas environment ambient air, 10 98% relative humidity range Lifetime 5 years Selectivity Interference resistant (e.g., hydrocarbons) Participation in international safety activities Activities to advance a hydrogen economy are underway worldwide. The importance of safety is universally recognized and a significant component of the international activity is devoted to developing safety techniques and procedures. HFCIT collaborates with a number of organizations through international cooperative agreements in order to capitalize on this global research and development effort. Collaboration in international efforts offers economies of scale, minimizes duplicative research and development, and ensures compatibility of systems intended for use throughout the global economy so consumers can purchase products that are safe and reliable, regardless of their country of origin. Some of the multi-national hydrogen safety-related agreements and partnerships in which DOE participates are discussed below: IPHE The International Partnership for a Hydrogen Economy (IPHE) was established in 2003 as an international institution to accelerate the transition to a hydrogen economy. Energy ministers from 16 countries representing 85% of the world gross domestic product formed this partnership to organize, evaluate and coordinate multinational research, development and deployment programs that advance the transition to a global hydrogen economy. The U.S. DOE is a signatory to this agreement. The IPHE coordinates and leverages the resources to advance bilateral and multilateral collaboration and to address technical and policy issues and opportunities related to hydrogen. The IPHE also fosters the implementation of large-scale, long-term public-private cooperation to advance hydrogen and fuel cell technology research and development in accordance with the Partners priorities. IEA Hydrogen Safety Annex The existing IEA Hydrogen Implementing Agreement has recently approved a new Task 19 for Hydrogen Safety. The United States participates in all subtasks of this agreement. The current subtasks involve three activities: 1) Risk Assessment; 2) Testing and Data Experimental Program; and 3) Development of Targeted Information Packages for Stakeholder Groups. Future efforts may expand to additional areas of U.S. interest, such as developing an international curriculum for hydrogen safety training and education. HySafe HFCIT participates in the European HySafe effort to minimize safety gaps in research, development and commercialization of hydrogen systems. The European Commission is presently determining the specific mechanisms for this activity; ultimately this cooperation will fall under the auspices of the International Partnership for a Hydrogen Economy (IPHE, described above). DOE will contribute to this important international hydrogen safety organization by sharing safety related data and lessons learned. 7

8 International Codes and Standards Agreements HFCIT coordinates and supports the participation of U.S. experts at numerous key international codes and standards development meetings. Work includes developing Global Technical Regulations (GTR) for hydrogen vehicle systems under the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations, and Working Party on Pollution and Energy Program (ECE-WP29/GRPE). The program also coordinates the U.S. Technical Advisory Groups (TAGs) for the International Organization for Standards (ISO) TC197 (Hydrogen Technologies) and International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) TC105 (Fuel Cell Technology). The TAGs provide a national forum for industry and government experts to reach consensus on proposed ISO and IEC documents and actions. HFCIT also works with the EPA and DOT/NHTSA to provide technical expertise for the WP29/GRPE. IV. Conclusion The Department of Energy Hydrogen Safety Program sets high standards for project safety and strives to model best practices to guide the global transition towards a hydrogen economy. The DOE Safety Program works closely with all elements of the DOE Hydrogen Program, encourages communication and information sharing, and collaborates with other national and international organizations. Maintaining a multifaceted cross-cutting approach to advancing hydrogen safety, the Program is uniquely positioned to help accelerate the development of hydrogen technologies and aid the transition to a hydrogen economy. 8