Understanding Hydrogen Safety

Hydrogen gas presents exciting commercial and sustainability opportunities.  A key pillar to widespread hydrogen adoption is ensuring public safety. If you are curious about the safety considerations for producing and using hydrogen, this post is for you. Whether the molecule is created from traditional steam-methane reforming, pyrolysis, or electrolysis, it has very distinct properties that require appropriate mitigation. Hydrogen was first used in petroleum refining and ammonia production in the 1920s. Large-scale adoption came after WWII. Safe production, storage, transport, and use of hydrogen occur every day by producers and consumers around the world using proven industry standard methods. Hydrogen is safer to handle than some other fuels like gasoline because it is not toxic and can disperse quickly, but it is a highly combustible, asphyxiant gas. Hydrogen is not detectable by human senses. Unlike natural gas, it is not transported or used with an odorant because that would contaminate or compromise the process of consuming hydrogen. It burns with a nearly invisible pale blue flame, and a tiny spark can ignite it. Hydrogen can cause embrittlement in certain steel alloys while causing stress cracking in others,and it can permeate polymers which may lead to unintended releases. These unique properties do not make hydrogen more dangerous than other fuels. Safe handling comes down to designing for the fuel’s properties and implementing safety controls to prevent release.  The necessary risk mitigations are proven and well understood, andthey will always be implemented when designing facilities and work practices to ensure reliable containment, effective leak detection, ventilation, and fire/explosion prevention and protection. Hydrogen is safe when facilities and work practices are engineered correctly. A large body of proven work practices, design standards,and leak detection/prevention systems exists for consideration when designing and operating new facilities or maintaining and upgrading existing ones. Post-design and pre-startup, a site-specific safety plan including the owner’s risk assessment and on-goingfield audits are key to safe hydrogen production, storage and use. You can trust Bison Fuels to ensure safe production of hydrogen for your needs because we understand what’s at stake.