Hazards of Liquid Hydrogen: Position paper

In the long term the key to the development of a hydrogen economy is a full infrastructure to support it, which include means for the delivery and storage of hydrogen at the point of use, eg at hydrogen refuelling stations for vehicles. As an interim measure to allow the development of refuelling stations and rapid implementation of hydrogen distribution to them, liquid hydrogen is considered the most efficient and cost effective means for transport and storage.
The Health and Safety Executive have commissioned the Health and Safety Laboratory to identify and address issues relating to bulk liquid hydrogen transport and storage and update/develop guidance for such facilities. This position paper, the first part of the project, assesses the features of the transport and storage aspects of the refuelling stations that are now being constructed in the UK, compares them to existing guidance, highlights gaps in the regulatory regime and identifies outstanding safety issues. The findings, together with the results of experiments to improve our understanding of the behaviour of liquid hydrogen, will inform the development of the guidance for refuelling facilities
link to Report