Is Hydrogen a Safe Fuel Source?
Hydrogen Fuel Safety Primer: Why Hydrogen Is a Safe and Effective Fuel Source
Chuck Hayes, Global Technical Lead, Swagelok
Hydrogen is a promising alternative to traditional fuels due to its potential to deliver zero-emission power in both transportation/mobility and general industrial applications. It is increasingly drawing interest as organizations and individuals around the world seek to reduce their carbon footprints.
But is hydrogen fuel safe? Is hydrogen transportation impractical? If hydrogen fuel too expensive? Can hydrogen fuel truly meet today and tomorrow’s environmental standards? If you are asking these questions, you aren’t alone.
Misunderstandings about hydrogen’s viability as a fuel source abound, leading to confusion regarding just how much we can rely on it as a means of decarbonizing our world. Statement about hydrogen’s drawbacks as a fuel source are often misleading at best and outright false at worst.
In this article, we’ll look specifically at the question of “Is hydrogen safe?” Whether you’re a clean energy professional or just an interested consumer, it’s worth diving deeper to fully understand the truth about hydrogen’s potential and what makes hydrogen fuel safe.
This article is the beginning of a series in which we will provide build upon higher-level resources highlighting common myths surrounding the use of hydrogen fuel. Find more answers about hydrogen fuel’s viability in these additional articles:
- Why Hydrogen Is Practical for Long-Range Applications
- Why Hydrogen Is an Economical Fuel Source
- Why Hydrogen Can Meet Environmental and Sustainability Standards
You can also hear me cover the topic in more detail in this webinar.
Is Hydrogen More Dangerous Than Gasoline or Other Fuels?
Given that hydrogen is combustible, there is often concern about explosion risk, as well. Yet, a hydrogen explosion is inherently less likely than explosions involving other fuel sources. For hydrogen to explode, oxygen concentrations between 18% and 59% are required. Gasoline, meanwhile, can explode at oxygen concentrations between 1% and 3%. Additionally, gasoline can ignite at significantly lower temperatures than hydrogen, posing a higher risk during transport and dispensing. The air surrounding a hydrogen flame is also not as hot as a gasoline flame, making it less likely that a hydrogen-based fire would spread. For these reasons, hydrogen presents a much more robust fire-related safety profile than traditional fossil fuels.
Hydrogen poses fewer hazards than fossil fuels and also has the benefits of being nontoxic and less volatile.
Is Hydrogen Fuel Safe to Store?
Because hydrogen is stored under pressure, some people express concern regarding hydrogen storage safety. But pressurized gas tanks have been around for many decades and are the foundation of a multibillion-dollar industry. Hydrogen tanks are safe. In fact, they are significantly safer than traditional gasoline tanks. During hydrogen refueling, hydrogen dispensers monitor the entire system—their own hoses and valves as well as those of the storage system—for leaks at the beginning, middle, and endpoint of hydrogen refueling systems. Gasoline leaks are usually only detectable once the fuel puddles on the ground.
Did You Know?
Hydrogen fuel is monitored by numerous agencies to make sure its safety profile is standardized across international boundaries.
Those agencies include CSA (Canadian Standards), ISO (International Organization for Standardization), and EN (European Standards).
The Bottom Line on Hydrogen Fuel Safety
Yes, hydrogen fuel is safe. Hydrogen has a significantly better safety profile than most conventional fuels. It is less likely to ignite and is far less likely than conventional fossil fuels to negatively impact the environment in case of leaks and spills. Properly designed storage and dispensing systems using leak-tight components optimized for hydrogen containment and transfer make hydrogen vehicles a strong alternative to traditional mobility fuels like gasoline.
Want to learn more about the budding hydrogen economy? Swagelok is invested in enabling its growth, continuously working to deliver reliable hydrogen solutions for companies on the leading edge of clean energy development. To continue growing your hydrogen fuel systems knowledge, explore relevant topics on Swagelok Reference Point using the link below.
About the Author
Chuck has applied his expertise in industrial fluid system engineering for more than 30 years to drive innovation in alternative fuel applications and other areas. He is an active member of various clean energy standards associations and technical committees and holds numerous patents around the world.
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