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Hydrogen emergency response

Hydrogen emergency response

EU projects reveal need for new safety measures

The results of the European Union’s HyResponder and HyTunnel-CS projects have been awaited with great anticipation. Numerous experts from industry, the fire service and research institutes been involved in these initiatives over the past few years, tasked with tackling the issue of fires and accidents connected with hydrogen applications. Now the International Fire Academy, the IFA, writes: “Hydrogen vehicles in tunnels: great danger for emergency response personnel.”

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The publication of Germany’s national hydrogen strategy saw the German government set out a framework for action for the future production, transport, use and reutilization of hydrogen and related innovations. Hydrogen can make a significant contribution to mitigating climate change – as a fuel for cars, a feedstock for industry or a fuel for heating systems. A multifaceted energy carrier, it can be applied across all sectors and therefore has a key role to play in the energy transition.

In power-to-gas plants, a carbon-neutral process is employed to produce green hydrogen using renewable energy, allowing this energy to be stored effectively in the gas grid and carried onward. Hence its proponents are suitably upbeat about the technology.

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However, hydrogen is – as a quick glance at the safety data sheet will tell you – a highly flammable gas and one which is now being stored and transported with increasing frequency and in ever-larger quantities. This poses a challenge for fire services and public authorities when handling approvals procedures and inevitably when responding to emergency situations, as the following call-out examples show:

  • Truck catches fire at a hydrogen refueling station
  • Two persons seriously injured following a hydrogen tank explosion
  • Hydrogen refueling station exploded
  • Difficult salvage operation – accident with “hydrogen vehicle”

Fire services are well used to dealing with traditional fuels such as gasoline and diesel on their rescue missions. Alternative fuels like liquefied natural gas, better known as LNG, or hydrogen have so far played only a very minor role, which is why emergency crews have fairly limited experience of them.

Now the energy transition is starting to gain momentum. Due to the conflict in Ukraine, the demand for LNG and hydrogen has risen sharply. In addition, natural gas grids are expected to convey hydrogen in the future, initially in blended form. A great deal of technical research and regulation will be needed to make it possible, and is currently being agreed and established in various committees.

This requires appropriate resources to be made available to public authorities and emergency organizations in order to handle the arrangements, train up staff and ensure the provision of special firefighting equipment.

We have observed that there are already established hydrogen applications for which fire crews often do not yet have the appropriate skills to carry out an emergency response.

HyResponder and HyTunnel-CS projects

In the past few years, the EU’s HyResponder project has developed a European Emergency Response Guide which is currently being presented at a country level. In Germany, an event took place in Oldenburg at the end of May 2023 in order to communicate the proposed hydrogen emergency responses to German firefighting experts. The same event was held in Austria in April.

The most important outcome from the European HyTunnel-CS research project, to which the IFA contributed its views from a fire service perspective, is: “Firefighters can protect themselves against smoke, heat and fire spurts, but not against the blast waves from explosions of hydrogen vehicles in tunnels. Therefore, it is vital to keep a safe distance. However, how can people be saved and fires be fought effectively? There is still no satisfactory answer to this question – although more and more hydrogen-powered vehicles are being registered. That is why the fire services need to work on suitable solutions immediately.”

Alongside recommendations from the research projects, there are other national and international means of support for emergency services, for instance ISO 17840 – the first global standard for firefighters. Knowing how the energy is stored on board a vehicle can mean the difference between a successful rescue and a possibly unexpected explosion, gas leak, shooting flame or a fatal electric shock.

           

Several hundred thousand users have downloaded the Euro Rescue app. It offers access to 1,400 vehicle rescue sheets in four languages. The international association of fire and rescue services CTIF is pushing its distribution and takeup.

Nevertheless, this presupposes that rescue teams are able to identify the type of vehicle. In cases of fires occurring in tunnels or underground parking lots, this is difficult to accomplish. It is this particular circumstance the IFA was referring to in the earlier quotation. This is because fire crews would proceed as usual and then suddenly happen upon a fuel cell vehicle. Even if the correct rescue data sheet is found, the information about the necessary safety distances for emergency crews in the event of a hydrogen vehicle fire can be best described as “leaving room for improvement.”

When dealing with fires and accidents, the overall scenario always has to be considered. This must include the area surrounding the rescue site and account needs to be taken of this in response planning. A fuel cell bus, for example, could be on fire at night in the parking lot because it is parked next to another burning vehicle. The hydrogen bus is not the cause here, yet it does make the scenario much more serious. Two basic situations need to be contemplated: One in which hydrogen equipment (hydrogen bus, hydrogen car) is itself the cause and the other, much more likely case where hydrogen equipment will be affected by an external event. It is essential that the approvals procedure takes both variations into consideration.

Artificial intelligence has great potential

On the other hand, new digital applications, particularly artificial intelligence or AI, are offering up possibilities for rapid information gathering in the future which could support the emergency response. The long times taken by public authorities to process approvals have come under much criticism. Policymakers are promising to speed up procedures significantly in this respect. Here too, AI can come into play and save a lot of time.

In particular, a suitable AI module can allow the fire service to quickly analyze the documents received and check plausibility. Robots and drones – with AI – can bring decisive benefits for emergency responses in explosive ranges. For example, a robot can scan an underground parking lot. Especially relevant here is the ability to identify fuel cell vehicles in underground parking lots and tunnel systems without endangering emergency crews.

One solution would be to fit vehicles that run on alternative fuels with a chip so that robots or drones are able to identify the vehicles more quickly. Measurement technology on the robot could also be used to detect leaking hydrogen.

Explosive situations cannot be practiced in real life which is why training using virtual reality or augmented reality techniques lends itself to this purpose. As Figure 3 shows, useful training for incident commanders can be carried out with regular free-of-charge programs.

Balancing act

If the fire service needs training and special resources, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the hydrogen technology is faulty or susceptible. It is the new scenarios, such as a multi-vehicle accident in a tunnel involving a hydrogen truck or bus, that are significantly increasing the risk for responders.

This is all “politically controversial” in terms of getting action, since the desired message is that hydrogen is virtually problem-free. Financial support for emergency response is “not likely” to be provided. Emergency service organizations are increasingly confronted with a variety of new technologies and fuels. Many different fuels are being used in parallel during the transitional phase. For those working in fire and hazard prevention and in incident planning, this often means they come across new situations and are learning by doing. Not only does workplace health and safety need to be ensured for staff at hydrogen refueling stations and tanker drivers but equally so for emergency crews as part of a risk assessment.

How much extra training do we want to provide our fire service members? At the moment there are still no special training facilities in Germany. The German interior minister warns of “attacks” on energy infrastructure, and violent action by activists also needs to be taken into consideration. This requires incident planning by fire services. Alternative forms of energy are “closely” linked to this: In terms of emergency response, it makes sense to exploit synergies, for example by including LNG and CNG in hydrogen training courses.

Reference(s)

  • mdr.de/nachrichten/sachsen/chemnitz/zwickau/brand-tankstelle-lkw-zapfsaeule-meerane-100.html
  • kleinezeitung.at/oesterreich/5779092/Niederoesterreich_Zwei-Schwerverletzte-nach-WasserstofftankExplosion
  • heise.de/autos/artikel/Wasserstofftankstelle-in-Norwegen-explodiert-4445144.html
  • noen.at/moedling/schwierige-bergung-unfall-mit-wasserstoff-fahrzeug-gumpoldskirchen-wasserstoff-bergung-133570154
  • ifa-swiss.ch/magazin/detail/wasserstoff-fahrzeuge-in-tunneln-grosse-gefahr-fuer-einsatzkraefte
  • ISO 17840: The First Worldwide Firefighters’ Standard | CTIF – International Association of Fire Services for Safer Citizens through Skilled Firefighters
  • Petter, F.: First on site: Decision-making training for incident commanders in vehicle fires, internal study, unpublished
  • 200,000 users have downloaded the Euro Rescue app – access to 1400 vehicle Rescue Sheets in 4 languages | CTIF – International Association of Fire Services for Safer Citizens through Skilled Firefighters

Author: Franz Petter, Chief Fire Officer, Hamburg, Germany, FranzPetter@aol.com

The Havelland wants to become even greener

The Havelland wants to become even greener

Hydrogen Regions series: HyExpert Havelland

Green hydrogen is an important building block of the energy transition. With its help, regenerative energy can be stored and used as needed in a wide variety of sectors. But how will the generation, storage, distribution and use of hydrogen come together? An answer to this question is the goal of the project H2VL of the regional district (Landkreis) Havelland: Various local players along the entire hydrogen value chain are being identified, networked and supported in the implementation of their projects – from production through distribution to use. For this, Havelland is being supported by the German transport ministry, through the hydrogen and fuel cell innovation support program NIP2, with nearly 400,000 euros as one of the 15 winners of the title HyExpert Region.

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In the H2VL network are represented nearly 140 stakeholders from 75 different organizations – from companies and municipalities to advocacy groups and research institutions. The environmental ministry of the district in Brandenburg is leading the project and supporting the H2 developments from the political side. Funding is being coordinated by NOW GmbH (federal hydrogen and fuel cell agency) and administered by project manager Projektträger Jülich (PtJ).

“With the hydrogen generated locally with renewable energies and then used directly in the local transportation sector, a valuable contribution to climate protection in the Havelland can be made.”

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Nico Merkert, Havelland environmental office director

The project will be accompanied for one year by a consortium of hydrogen and transportation experts. The Reiner Lemoine Institut (RLI) is leading the project on the contractor side and will have scientific support from IAV Ingenieurgesellschaft Auto und Verkehr, Consulting4Drive and the Institut für Klimaschutz, Energie und Mobilität (IKEM). At the end of the project, the findings will be summarized in a regional feasibility study.

Proximity to implementation is important

One of the most important building blocks of the H2VL project is the cooperation with local players in the field of hydrogen. Specifically, cooperation has taken place in a variety of formats: In the beginning, the focus was on getting to know each other in bilateral talks and on-site meetings. Systematic data was requested from all stakeholders with a survey. In eight workshops, the participants were networked with each other and were able to learn about projects within and without the Havelland. This has led to the players now knowing each other well and, furthermore, driving forward joint projects.

The project has been developed as five packages. In addition to the project and stakeholder management described above, the entire value chain of a green hydrogen economy was considered

Hydrogen production

If the hydrogen is produced locally from renewable energies (RE) and used later on, this offers the advantage of regional value creation. It is important that citizens and communities benefit directly and indirectly from RE and H2 generation in their neighborhoods. That is why the project will focus on regionally anchored stakeholders. The Havelland has enormous potential for renewable energy generation. About 1 GW of photovoltaic and 2.5 GW of wind power would be technically possible.

Even if only a small portion of these potential areas were used, it would allow large amounts of RE to be generated and used for, among other things, hydrogen production. How much hydrogen can be produced and for what price depends on the price of electricity, the electrolyzer full load hours and the ratio of installed RE to electrolyzer capacity (see Fig. 2). Depending on the operator model, production costs between 7.80 and 9.70 euros per kilogram of hydrogen are likely for the Havelland.

“We see that in the Havelland there is great potential for generation of renewable energies and therefore also of green hydrogen. To leverage this potential, it is important that the people in the Havelland benefit from the establishment of the hydrogen economy. That is why in the project we’re putting value on regional value chains and the inclusion of municipal businesses.”

Anne Wasike-Schalling, Reiner Lemoine Institut

In addition to hydrogen production from renewable energies, the company Neue Energien Premnitz is also planning to generate H2 from waste materials. Specifically, this means that the non-recyclable waste from the company Richter Recycling are to be used for incineration with waste recovery, also called thermal recycling (see H2-international October 2021). The land for the plant has already been secured, and the procedure for approval in accordance with German emissions law (BImSchG) is underway.

Hydrogen demand

Hydrogen can be employed in many sectors, and can be used as a starting material or replace fossil energy sources. In Havelland, the transport and industrial sectors in particular were examined. For the industrial companies in Havelland, hydrogen would more often than not replace the natural gas used up to this point. For this to be economically feasible, the price corridor for green hydrogen would have to be between about 5 (natural gas parity price) and 10 euro cents per kilowatt-hour (corresponds to 1.67 to 3.33 euros per kg of hydrogen). This is not foreseen as happening within the next few years. The use of hydrogen as a chemical resource in the Havelland is not established at this time.

In the transport sector, various modes of transportation were highlighted. In local rail travel and shunting operations, the employment of hydrogen is imaginable, but no concrete demand quantities are foreseeable at present. In road traffic, the focus is primarily on heavy vehicles or those with long ranges. Because of the higher energy density of hydrogen compared to the electric battery, its advantages could prevail here.

For the conversion from diesel to hydrogen, comprehensive cost considerations over the entire life cycle (total cost of ownership) were carried out with stakeholders. These show, for example, that for the operation of a public transport bus fleet, if the green hydrogen costs between 5.90 and 7.50 euros per kilogram, cost parity with diesel vehicles can be achieved. That is a large distance from the current probable cost of hydrogen production (see above).

To nevertheless enable business models in the ramp-up phase, the German government has expanded the incentives around the Treibhausgasminderungsquote (greenhouse gas reduction rate, THG-Quote). Consequently, the putting of green fuels such as hydrogen into circulation will enable additional rewards through so-called selling of the THG-Quote from low or zero emissions product owners to companies that will not sufficiently reduce their emissions.

Storage and distribution

Hydrogen can be stored and transported in various ways. With stakeholders and in the feasibility study, various types of storage and transport were discussed. Critical for the planning of the stakeholders is also the planned starting grid Brandenburger H2-Startnetz. This will be gradually expanded. Through this, more and more different locations within the Havelland will become part of a supraregional hydrogen supply network.

Various parts of the value chain of a hydrogen economy were joined using actual players in the last work package. In order to be able to realize efficient business models, both the generation and the demand side need consideration. In two regional clusters, possible supply chains were outlined, analyzed and further developed together with stakeholders.

Cluster Östliches Havelland (eastern cluster)

In this cluster, the consortium is currently exploring along with regional energy provider GASAG whether and how the company’s planned electrolyzer in the city Ketzin can be built and operated economically and the hydrogen can be made available to the regional transport sector. As potential consumers of the hydrogen due to sufficient theoretical quantities, the consortium is of the opinion that portions of the municipal fleets in nearby Nauen would be the most suitable option at this time. There is general interest in a partial conversion to H2 drives for these fleets. The economic viability is currently being examined separately in detail.

Initial rough calculations also show that when both sides are considered together, a regional value chain from production to distribution, refueling stations and consumption could be conceivable under certain conditions, for example subsidies. However, several parameters still need to be clarified. Players in the transport logistics industry in the area Wustermark-Brieselang are also being considered in this cluster, as they could represent further anchor customers.

Cluster Westliches Havelland (western cluster)

Rathenower Wärmeversorgung, the heating provider for the city Rathenow, is working on a project for the production of climate-friendly heat. This is to occur through the company’s own renewable energy generation in combination with a power-to-heat plant. The renewable electricity will be directly converted into district heating in this way. To optimally use the fluctuations in RE generation, the installation of an electrolyzer is additionally under consideration. The intent is to use energy surpluses to produce green hydrogen. Incidentally, the waste heat from the electrolyzer can also be used in the district heating network. Wasser- und Abwasserverband Rathenow, with its fleet of sewage suction vehicles, could be a regional H2 consumer.

Furthermore, stakeholders are encouraged to continue independently networking themselves. The digital hydrogen marketplace Wasserstoffmarktplatz Berlin-Brandenburg enables the decentralized networking of all participants and also the targeted search for specific players in the value chain. Stakeholders can also network beyond the scope of the H2VL project.

Authors: Anne Wasike-Schalling, Reiner Lemoine Institut gGmbH, Berlin, anne.wasike@rl-institut.de, Nico Merkert, Landkreis Havelland, nico.merkert@havelland.de

Field test with 20 percent H2 appears successful

Field test with 20 percent H2 appears successful

In Erftstadt, a city near Cologne, grid energy provider GVG Rhein-Erft and distribution operator RNG are currently testing the effects of blending 20 volume percent hydrogen in the natural gas network there. The interim results of the field test running since October 2022 are thoroughly positive. All of the connected gas consuming installations, according to independent test organization TÜV Rheinland, are running 100 percent problem-free. Citizens as well as the businesses connected were able to use their devices like usual throughout the whole heating season. The consuming devices did not need to be altered in order to use the gas blend. The gas tightness of the network was unaffected.

Up to now, only a blending of 10 vol.% hydrogen has been allowed for the German gas grid. The test confirms that “both the gas network and the connected gas consuming installations can tolerate twice that amount of hydrogen blending,” as stated by Reiner Verbert, project manager at TÜV Rheinland. This test is the first to be carried out in a low calorific gas grid in Germany. The field test is to run until the end of December of this year. A total of 100 households from the city regions of Niederberg, Borr and Friesheim are taking part in it.

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The area is particularly well suited for this pilot run important for the energy transition because the network of about nine kilometers (6 miles) was only just built in 2007 – so the technical state is very modern. The distribution lines and house connections are also easy to monitor. Both the network topology and device technology of the test households are therefore especially suited to provide informative results before transferring this innovative system to other areas of the country.

Author: Niels Hendrik Petersen

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Electrolysis calculator online

Electrolysis calculator online

The technical university TH Köln has programmed a free online calculator intended to make the construction as well as design of electrolysis stations easier. Prof. Peter Stenzel from the Cologne Institute for Renewable Energy explained: “In one of my lectures, the question came up of how to support construction planning agencies or industrial companies in the conception of such plants. Students and staff of the institute accordingly developed the Electrolysis Calculator, which enables an initial rough design to be made based on the outputs.”

The tool shows, for example, how many full load hours a planned system would be in operation, how much hydrogen would be produced and which use cases would be possible. The basis for the calculations is the relative ratio of electricity sources for operation of the electrolyzer. In addition, it is possible to specify how large in capacity the electrolysis plant should be.

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Stenzel explained further: “To make the result more visual, our tool also shows possible use cases for the transport, industry and building sectors: How many fuel cell cars or buses could run for a year on the amount of hydrogen generated? How many tonnes of crude steel could be produced with it? How many residential buildings with condensing boilers could be heated for one year with the hydrogen or with the generated waste heat?”

https://elektrolyserechner.web.th-koeln.de/

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Hydrogen – A Clean Alternative?

Hydrogen – A Clean Alternative?

Global Innovation Trends Along the H2 Value Chain

Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, and for many years has promised to play a significant role in clean energy solutions. Its sheer abundance alongside its clean combustion products would suggest hydrogen is an ideal candidate to liberate us from our fossil fuel dependency. It is, however, important to consider the entire hydrogen value chain when assessing its viability as a clean energy source. The value chain can be broadly segmented into three key fields: production, storage and distribution, and end use application. The European Patent Office (EPO) and International Energy Agency (IEA) recently issued a report analysing the global trends of innovation along hydrogen value chains. The existing and emerging technologies corresponding to each stage of the value chain can be seen in the figure below, which comes from the EPO/IEA report.

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Today, approximately 95 % of hydrogen is produced from fossil fuel sources through processes such as natural gas reforming. This process is not only still dependent on fossil fuels for raw materials, but requires significant energy input, which is also commonly derived from fossil fuels.

Production

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Electrolysis is an alternative means of hydrogen production, which does not require fossil fuels as a raw material, but currently accounts for an exceedingly small proportion of global production (around 0.04 % in 2021). This process involves the use of electricity to decompose water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. Whilst electrolysis appears promising, the process is currently only around 75 % efficient and more than 99 % of the total hydrogen production by electrolysis is produced using energy from non-renewable sources.

The EPO/IEA global trend analysis found that hydrogen production technologies accounted for the largest number of hydrogen related patents in the 2011 to 2020 period. Technologies motivated by climate concerns generated nearly 90 % of International Patent Families (IPFs) related to hydrogen production in 2020. With a strong focus on decarbonising hydrogen production, there has been a rapid increase in electrolysis related patents and a substantial decrease in patent applications for hydrogen production from fossil fuels. These trends are visible in the figure below from the EPO/IEA global trend analysis report.

With high natural gas prices, the economic climate has shifted in favour of low-emission hydrogen from electrolysis, attracting further investment. It is clear that further innovation is necessary to enable renewable, low carbon hydrogen production and while several families of electrolysers of vastly differing technical maturity are under concurrent development, there is still no consensus on a preferred solution.

Storage and Distribution

Pure hydrogen is currently transported in pipelines and tube trailers as a gas or in cryogenic tanks in its liquefied form. To fully exploit the potential of hydrogen as a fuel, efficient, standardised, and cost-effective means of storage and transport is imperative.

Current hydrogen storage and transport remains the subject of many challenges, such as the substantial weight and volume of storage systems, energy losses associated with compression and liquefication, and durability of storage systems. Patent trends across hydrogen transport and storage can be seen in the figure below from the EPO/IEA report, which shows a strong focus on infrastructure to support hydrogen uptake.

Unlike hydrogen production technologies, universities and research organisations account for very few of the patent applications for the storage and transport of hydrogen. This suggests this portion of the hydrogen value chain is predominantly based on mature technologies with a focus on incremental innovation. However, some emerging technologies, such as the use of liquid organic hydrogen carriers or synthetic methane, have shown promise for future large-scale deployment.

Application

Whilst this article has focused heavily on hydrogen as an alternative fuel, hydrogen demand is primarily driven by the chemical industry, of which around 75 % was directed to ammonia production and around 25 % for methanol production. Innovation in the hydrogen sector, accelerated by an appetite for clean energy, will likely result in greater efficiency of the existing hydrogen supply chain and thus decrease the carbon footprint of the entire industry.

Emerging hydrogen applications and patenting trends are focused heavily on transport, with more IPFs for automotive applications of hydrogen since 2001 than for all other emerging uses of hydrogen combined. Fuel cells appear to be the most mature technology for hydrogen powered transport, with some market uptake already. Alternatives such as hydrogen internal combustion engines are of demonstrable capacity and lag slightly behind the maturity of fuel cell technology. Hydrogen powered solutions for road and rail are significantly more refined than their air transport counterparts, with scalability and the mass of hydrogen storage posing significant challenges in aviation. Patent trends across hydrogen applications can be seen in the figure below from the EPO/IEA report, which shows a strong focus on the automotive sector.

Challenges still persist with on-board vehicle storage of hydrogen as well as how to convert the chemical energy from hydrogen into motive force. Within the automotive and aviation sectors, patent applications for means of propulsion dominate. In particular, hydrogen fuel cells account for a significant portion of innovation in the last decade. For aviation, it is expected that fuel cells may be viable for shorter haul journeys. For longer haul flight, it is expected that the higher power of turbines and energy density of hydrogen-based fuels will offer greater performance than the combination of a fuel cell and motor.

Where Next?

It is apparent from the EPO/IEA global trend analysis that hydrogen remains a focus for innovation across the world. To fully exploit hydrogen as the clean energy source of the future, innovation is necessary throughout the value chain to ensure efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable practice from production through to end-use application.

We all rely on innovators to provide us with the technology to progress towards a hydrogen-powered future. Investment in new technologies is key to further commercial success and more than 80 % of late-stage investment in hydrogen start-ups in 2011 to 2020 went to companies that had filed a patent application in areas such as electrolysis, fuel cells, or low-emissions methods for producing hydrogen from gas.

Forresters specialises in providing clear direction to innovators as they seek crucial legal protection for their IP and enable the implementation and commercialisation of their ideas. We look forward to contributing to a sustainable future by supporting innovators with practical and valuable IP advice.

Author: Elliot Farrell, Forresters, Liverpool, United Kingdom, lcroft@forresters-ip.com