New Guide Fills Information Gaps on Hydrogen
Safety
Karen Hall, National Hydrogen Association
 As
you might imagine, industry professionals, emergency responders
and even potential consumers have many questions about hydrogen,
particularly about how to handle it safely.
A new book, NFPA's Guide to Gas Safety, addresses the safety
and handling of many compressed gases, including hydrogen. The
553-page guide is a compilation of chapters written by subject
matter experts and includes two that specifically address hydrogen
safety issues- hydrogen dispensing operations and hydrogen dispersion.
Other chapters address issues common among many different gases.
The following is a short summary of the sections that pertain
most to hydrogen safety:
Chapters 1-4 cover handling, emergency response, process safety,
and risk management plans for compressed gases in general.
Chapter 9 covers industrial gases.
Chapter 13 addresses storage and refuelling of compressed natural
gas and hydrogen. Table 13.2 provides key physical properties
of hydrogen compared to other fuels and Figure 13.10 provides
a diagram of a typical hydrogen fuelling station.
Chapter 14 includes gas dispersion and describes what happens
when a gas is released. Ten leak scenarios are examined including
a release into a vehicle parked in a garage. The chapter describes
how gases with different densities might behave differently
in this partially confined space.
Chapter 16 gives an overview of the requirements for shipping
compressed gas and cryogenic fluids under current DOT regulations,
as well as the basic requirements for safe storage, use, and
handling of compressed gases and cryogenic fluids under OSHA
regulations. It also describes when these DOT and OSHA regulations
apply.
Table 16.8(a) depicts the minimum distance from hydrogen systems
to various outdoor exposures, based on current NFPA requirements.
This data is grouped by quantity of hydrogen, with data for
0-3000 standard cubic feet (scf), 3000-15000 scf, and in excess
of 15000 scf. (view Hydrogen
and Fuel Cell Safety Report Conversion Tables). As the hydrogen
community conducts significant research and validation on hydrogen
risks and appropriate separation distances, it is possible that
this table, along with provisions in the model codes may be
revised in the future.
As I read the book, two things struck me. Firstly, this book
has the answers for so many of the questions people have asked
me over the years with many references for further investigation.
Secondly, if this book had been around during my Freshman year
of Welding Engineering at the Ohio State University, I'm certain
it would have been mandatory reading. If you want to learn more
about safe handling and use of compressed gases, this book is
for you.
You
may purchase a copy of the NFPA Guide here.
Thank you to the NFPA for providing a copy of the Guide for
review.
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