Hydrogen risk management:

recognising and stemming

risks to ensure plant safety

Hydrogen is often touted as the fuel of the future. But with a new energy source comes
a new set of risks and a fresh need for good risk management. From production processes,
compressor facilities and pipelines through to storage and distribution – safety processes
must be re-evaluated across a plant when hydrogen comes into play.

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Hope for a cleaner world

Of every 1000 atoms in the universe, 900 are hydrogen, so it certainly pledges to enable the production of up to 10 million tonnes of renewable
is a sustainable gas. It burns clean and has many different use cases. hydrogen each year by 2030.
Indeed, a whole new ecosystem is currently being developed around
hydrogen usage: including a role in developing low-carbon feedstock However it doesn’t end there. Chile aims to produce the cheapest green
and clean mobility solutions, provision of heat and power for building struc- hydrogen by 2030, and to become one of the top three exporters of
tures, as a low-carbon fuel, as an energy carrier and as an energy source. green hydrogen by 2040. The United Arab Emirates has a similar target
in sight, with their new hydrogen strategy aiming to hold a quarter of the
Promoted across the globe, hydrogen is widely being viewed as the way global hydrogen market by 2030. Countries across the world are looking
towards decarbonising industries, long haul freight and aviation. It was to hydrogen to help decarbonise energy systems – and the general con-
heavily discussed at the UN Climate Conference, COP26, and the EU sensus is that hydrogen has a key role to play where the goal is net zero.

New energy sources pose new risks

However, where there is new energy, there are unknowns. As large- Hydrogen is a highly-flammable gas and several risks are presented
scale hydrogen production increases, there is growing need for during production and storage phases. This requires that production
new risk evaluations and the development of end-to-end seamless plants make complete reviews across the production chain in order
solutions to ensure plant safety – from production processes to to adequately address safety needs at every point. Furthermore,
compressor facilities and pipelines, and on through to storage and although the safety challenges of hydrogen are the same wherever the
distribution. Risks that are presented in end products such as drive gas is present, the risks that come with it present themselves differently
technologies, fuel cells and electric batteries must also be considered. depending on the setup of a facility – and therefore need to be
handled uniquely on each plant.
With growing demand come new market participants – not all familiar
with the risks that hydrogen brings with it. Knowledge, information
and solutions become crucial in order to ensure sufficient safety.

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In depth: the safety challenges of working with hydrogen

When handling hydrogen in the workplace, several safety challenges must be considered:

• High flammability: one of the major threats of hydrogen is an • Permeation: Hydrogen molecules are tiny and can easily penetrate
explosion as it requires very low energy to ignite (0.02mJ). Hydro- materials. Appropriate selection, handling and upkeep of all materials
gen can auto-ignite just through the friction presented between the that come into contact with the hydrogen is crucial.
gas and a leak surface, with a static shock that can be felt (1mJ).
Hydrogen also has a very wide flammability range (4%-75%
volume in air), as compared to other fuels. At the optimal combustion
condition (29% hydrogen-to-air volume ratio), the energy required to • Gas pockets: Hydrogen has a lower density than air – and even
ignite hydrogen is lower than that of other common fuels. Equipment than hydrocarbons like methane. A very light gas (57 times lighter
used must thus be suitable for use in Ex areas. than gasoline vapour and 14 times lighter than air), it can be dispersed
quickly, potentially before gas detectors can even detect the leak.
When leaks occur, gas clouds can form on interior ceilings. Gas de-
tection technology therefore needs to be installed at the top of a
• Invisible flame: hydrogen flames are very pale or, in daylight, even building.
invisible to the naked eye. They emit a specific type of ultraviolet
radiation. Therefore, dedicated flame detectors are required to
reliably warn of fires.
• CO alarms: In some applications, carbon monoxide (CO) also
needs to be monitored. These carbon monoxide (CO) sensors are
also sensitive to hydrogen, so false alarms may occur – therefore,
• Odourless: Hydrogen cannot be detected by smell. Natural gas hydrogen-compensated CO sensors are needed.
and propane are also odourless gases, however a sulfurous odorant
is added so that people can detect them. There are currently no
known odorants light enough to move together with hydrogen at the
same dispersal rate. Odorants can also contaminate fuel cells.

Where there is risk, there is a need for safety solutions

On every plant, safety should be prioritised in order to minimise risk to with hydrogen. But our natural senses cannot put us on alert in this case,
workers – and also to ensure the health of the plant itself. Because of since hydrogen is odourless and invisible to the naked eye. Therefore,
the properties of hydrogen and the high pressure that it is stored at, in order to mitigate hazards, comprehensive plant safety systems are
these issues may be more present and more serious on plants that deal required.

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Risk management: from A to Z

So, how does risk management effectively take place? In general, this what action can be taken to effectively minimise risk – running from
should begin with a safety management workshop that takes a deep removal of the hazard itself (where possible) to protecting workers with
dive into processes in order to identify where hazards may occur. Safety personal protection equipment.
goals should also be defined and new and safe standard operating
procedures outlined. If an operating plant does not already have an internal And of course, no matter how well a plant is outfitted for safety measures,
unit to address these items, an external partner must be brought on due to the volatile nature of hydrogen, emergencies can still occur. In
to run a risk analysis and to ensure a safe environment. This involves this case, it is vital that good crisis management procedures are in place.
running through a hierarchy of controls in order to assess where and

Hierarchy of controls
Most
effective
Elimination Physically remove the hazard

Substitution Replace the hazard

Isolate People from the hazard

Engineering Controls • Fixed gas detection system • Plant fire protection • Ventilation Equipment
• Explosion-proof electrical equipment • Technical safety (e.g. TPRD)

Administrative Change the way people work

Controls • Safety matrix (if..., then...) • Emergency and hazard • Definition of permitted activities
• Emergency stop of electrical equipment • prevention management • Prior blowing off of hydrogen

PPE Protect the worker with Personal Protective Equipment

• Mobile gas detetction • ESD safety shoes
Least • Thermal imaging camera • Instruction / Training
effective

The layers of explosion protection

When it comes to protecting workers and plants against the dangers • Secondary – preventing ignition sources: use of ex-certified
of explosion, there are several layers involved: equipment specific to ex-zone, mechanic instead of electric equipment
(e.g. valves), and grounding and conductive floors.
• Primary – preventing explosive atmospheres: preventing • Tertiary/Constructive – preventing and reducing damages
leaks, incorporating ventilation that allows gases to quickly dissipate, and effects in case of explosion: use of fireproof and retardant
and equipment that can detect specific gases at an early stage. materials/structures, use of pressure relief valves/areas, and clearly
marked evacuation pathways.

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The challenges of safety consultancy: defining protection

goals
Risk can be defined as a formula of sorts: the probability of occurrence a false sense of safety. Most often, plants have safety measures in place
multiplied by the severity of damage. Every action taken will influence and people assume these are adequate to the task. Additionally, it may
this equation positively or negatively. And that is why risk analysis is so be that nothing serious has occurred in the workplace over the last
important. In order to lay out a risk management plan, the protection
goals of a company must be defined. Companies aim to protect their several years, so no pressure is felt by a company to do anything im-
workers, the environment and also material assets – and each company mediately. However, hydrogen is a unique gas and reacts differently in
must individually define what level of damage is acceptable in relation to processes than other materials. And the truth is, hazards are very real
their protection goals. But these protections must also adhere to health and something may happen at any time. Even if the processes are tried
and safety acts, which differ from country to country. and tested themselves, introducing a new material changes everything.
Another issue in addressing safety concerns is that workers often have

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Hydrogen brings a special set of questions to the table Professional safety consultancy
New technologies, such as hydrogen, require a holistic view of safety. When it comes to professional analysis, risk assessment and solution
For that, it is important to ask the right questions: building, Dräger relies on years of expertise and state-of-the-art
technologies to help ensure company safety across
• What associated processes can be expected with new equipment?
• What risks result for workers? • First, plant and process analysis and risk assessment help to
• How are employees best protected? support customers in identifying potential areas where safety can be
• Are existing safety measures the right ones for new technologies? enhanced.
• Following this, customised solutions can be developed in order to
Quick case study: protect the health of employees and to help companies effectively
A bus company that uses diesel fuel has recently had its equipment manage emergencies.
professionally retrofitted with gas detection systems. The buses, including
tank systems, are repaired in a workshop. Diesel fuel can escape, for which
an IR-transmitter for Nonan has been installed. At some point, the company
is converted and several hydrogen-powered buses are brought into
use. The staff assume they are safe because the modern gas detection
system is in place and they believe that the same equipment can be used
to detect hydrogen leaks. However, hydrogen is much lighter than air and
therefore rises very quickly, while the alkanes that evaporate from diesel
are measured near the ground. In addition, hydrogen cannot be detected
with the same sensors as the vapours from diesel fuel, so they are, in fact,
obsolete for the detection of hydrogen leaks. Varied gas properties lead to
many different and specific risks – and new risks require different safety
precautions. Employees need to be made aware of the changing safety Dräger can provide solutions across a plant, however different models
challenges and the correct application of protective measures. of evaluation are applied depending on which part of a facility is being
analysed. An initial analysis involves workshops where all relevant
departments are in attendance. The protection goals and criteria for
risk evaluation are jointly defined. This is followed by hazard identifica-
tion which involves making a detailed onsite inspection to identify risks.
The next steps are risk analysis and evaluation, which involve assessing
the likelihood of occurrence and determining the severity of damage –
categorised as low, medium or high. Protective measures and fields
of action are then determined in order to effectively reduce medium
or high risks, taking into consideration the company’s existing safety
measures.

A duty to employees Further measures can then be defined with the company, including
A company must protect its workers in accordance with legal require- necessary investments, planning of responsibilities, operational emergency
ments. And it is also in the company’s economic interest to protect faci- management, educational training, or the implementation of further
lities to the largest extent possible. This is why regular, professional-level technologies and tailored additional steps. A full report of the findings
risk assessments are necessary, taking into account the current state of is delivered to the company so that they have access to complete
technologies, science and any redevelopment taking place on a plant. documentation of the relevant evaluated scenarios and any risks attached.

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The Dräger advantage

No matter the industry, Dräger has the right tools to create Selecting the right detection solutions, safeguards and best-practice
complete risk assessments and to build effective solutions. approaches is the key to working with hydrogen smartly and safely.
With expert know-how in the field of gas detection technology,
personal protective equipment and engineered safety solutions, When it comes to workplace safety and personal protection of
Dräger has established safety measures across many different employees, Dräger provides full-scale safety consultancy and out-
fields, including refineries and other process industries, automotive sourced services as part of an end-to-end safety solution. A complete
or pharmaceutical manufacturers, and also hospitals. Experts not range of gas detection devices, respiratory protective devices and
only bring highly-valued input but also integrated and holistic personal protection equipment can help keep workers and facilities
solutions to every situation that ensure plant and people safety, safe.
as well as compliance to local safety requirements.
For more information on Dräger consulting services for safety and
This equally applies to the hydrogen industry. Although a relatively emergency management, visit www.draeger.com/en_uk/Safety/
new technology that is still emerging across the world, Dräger has Safety-and-Emergency-Management.
already created a number of safety concepts in this arena.
Learn more about hydrogen
safety for the industry,
click here or scan:

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