Safety issues of the liquefaction, storage and transportation of liquid hydrogen: An analysis of incidents and HAZIDS

The objectives of the IDEALHY project, which receives funding from the European Union's 7th Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) for the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Technology Initiative under grant agreement No. 278177, are to design a novel process that will significantly increase the efficiency of hydrogen liquefaction and be capable of delivering liquid hydrogen at a rate that is an order of magnitude greater than current plants. The liquid hydrogen could then be delivered to refueling stations in road tankers. This paper describes the scope of the safety work within IDEALHY, focussing in particular on two HAZID exercises and a review of incidents. In particular, an analysis of the causes and consequences of accident scenarios is presented.