A Novel Approach for Design and Quantitative Risk Assessment for Hydrogen Refueling Station

In order to move towards further commercialization of the Hydrogen economy, it is essential to minimize the associated safety concerns and maximize the profitability of the involved systems such as that of Hydrogen refueling stations. Currently, Hydrogen refueling stations are primarily designed to satisfy required consumer demand while ensuring that Hydrogen is supplied at a profitable rate. The developed design is then supported by a quantitative risk analysis (QRA) carried as per the NFPA-2 standard to validate that the associated risks (such as that of fire and explosion) are acceptable. However, the absence of QRA in the design stage itself leads to a possibility of the refueling stations being over-designed from the perspective of safety. As a part of this study, we have developed a novel risk-based design approach for Hydrogen refueling stations that allows the design of these facilities with optimized economics and risk. The Hydrogen refueling station is designed with a simultaneous QRA and economic analysis. However, The QRA methodology is modified to fit the needs of a Hydrogen refueling station. The population and the time spent by an individual (which are important parameters for an effective QRA) in the refueling station are considered as variables (unlike traditional QRA for chemical facilities that assumes these values as constants) using the queuing theory. The QRA methodology accommodates the hazards of explosion, jet-fire and asphyxiation for the employees as well as the customers present at the refueling station.

The results obtained from this study provide deeper insights into the risk-benefit counterbalance associated with the design of Hydrogen refueling stations and provides design guidelines to facilitate further commercialization of the Hydrogen economy.