The Challenges of Hydrogen Storage on a Large Scale

With the growing success of green hydrogen, the general trend is for increased hydrogen production and large quantities of storage. Engie’s projects have grown from a few kilos of hydrogen to the quest for large scale production and associated storage – e.g. several tons or tens of tons. Although a positive sign for Engie’s projects, it does inevitably result in challenges in new storage methods and in risks management related to such facilities; particularly with hydrogen facilities being increasingly placed in the vicinity of general public sites. For example, a leak on hydrogen storage can generate significant thermal and overpressure effects on surrounding people/facilities in the event of ignition. Firewalls can be installed to protect individuals / infrastructure from thermal effects but, the adverse result is that this solution can increase the violence of an explosion in case of delayed ignition or confinement. The manner of emergency intervention on a pool fire of hydrogen is also totally different from intervention on compressed gaseous hydrogen. The first part of this presentation will explain different means to store hydrogen in large quantities. The second part will present for each storage the specific risks generated. The third and final part will explain how these risks can be addressed on a technical point of view by safety devices or by other solutions (separation distance, passive/active means, …).