Safety in Storing and Transporting Hydrogen

Hydrogen is known to be a problematic substance to store and transport because it is leak-sensitive, forms no smoke or odor when burning, and causes hydrogen embrittlement in materials. The mixture of hydrogen and air can ignite in wide range of mixture ratio, and the minimum ignition energy is low. When taking steps towards the hydrogen economy, ensuring the safety of storage and transportation is crucial. In the North Ostrobothnia region, varying temperature poses challenges to the technologies used.

The project intends to identify feasible concepts for safe storage and transportation in Northern Ostrobothnia, as well as the state-of-the-art technologies in the field. Diagnostic methods will be developed for identifying hydrogen leaks, monitoring the progress of hydrogen embrittlement, and predicting the integrity of the structure at a reasonable cost. In order to deploy new business, methods based on measurements and model-based solutions are to be developed for detecting leaks and structural integrity in hydrogen pipelines, storage vessels, and other process equipment.

To achieve these goals, especially considering the circumstances in Northern Finland, available solutions for hydrogen processes that can be used regardless of the weather conditions will be determined. Producing information needed for updating standards on hydrogen technology will take place in co-operation with standardization organizations, e.g., METSTA, KEMESTA and PSK. Alternative concepts for storing and transporting green hydrogen will be considered, and the energy-efficiency of the concepts will be evaluated. Analysis on the concepts for storing and transporting hydrogen, as well as methods for diagnostics will be performed in order to determine feasibility and cost-effectiveness of the solutions. Monitoring methods for enhancing safety of hydrogen processes will be investigated in laboratory demonstrations to achieve proof-of-concept level and, if possible, pilot scale demonstrations will be arranged as well. The project is part of Oulu Innovation Alliance project cluster for value chains in hydrogen economy. This project cluster aims to identify and develop producing and processing green hydrogen in Northern Ostrobothnia.