Leading the Way in Hydrogen Safety
AcuTech, a trusted name in process safety, security, and risk management, has long been at the forefront of ensuring safe operations for industries handling hazardous chemicals. With a legacy dating back to 1994, the company’s expertise has expanded to meet the demands of modern industries, including the dynamic and fast-growing hydrogen sector. Through its active participation in the Center for Hydrogen Safety (CHS), AcuTech exemplifies leadership in advancing safety and best practices globally. As AcuTech’s CEO, David Moore, serves his final year as Chairman of the Managing Board of the Center for Hydrogen Safety, we reflect on the journey and the impactful role we have played in advancing hydrogen safety through collaboration, leadership, and knowledge-sharing.
A Commitment to Hydrogen Safety Excellence
As the hydrogen industry continues to expand in response to global decarbonization goals, the safety challenges associated with hydrogen have become increasingly complex. Hydrogen’s unique physical properties, such as its buoyancy, flammability, and susceptibility to leakage, provide challenges and opportunities for managing safety during transport, storage, and use. Whether used as a feedstock or a fuel, hydrogen presents safety risks that organizations must fully understand and actively mitigate to ensure a sustainable energy future.
As Simon Stiell, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary, aptly put it:
“Decarbonization is inevitable and is the biggest transformation of the global economy of this century. Which makes climate action a very, very smart thing. But on the other hand, what you are doing is not easy. It’s not easy at all” (Sustainable Investment Forum, 24 Sep 2024).
This statement, although referring to the business and technology issues, resonates strongly when considering the safety challenges facing the hydrogen sector – it will be a challenging endeavor.
At AcuTech, we recognize the rapidly growing market driven by decarbonization goals and the diverse landscape of industry participants, ranging from established energy companies to new technology developers and specialized hydrogen producers. With this expansion, however, comes the challenge of preparing the workforce and end users, including the public, to understand and apply the appropriate process safety safeguards when handling hydrogen. For hydrogen to reach its decarbonization potential, knowledge in hydrogen process safety must spread widely.
Bridging the Safety Gap: Applying PSM to New Hydrogen Applications
As the hydrogen sector evolves, public and private acceptance will hinge on understanding the basic safety principles and maintaining the highest safety standards. A major incident involving hydrogen could have far-reaching consequences, and it is essential for all stakeholders to operate with a commitment to process safety management (PSM) to prevent such incidents. For legacy hydrogen producers, PSM systems are well-established. But for many new entrants, adopting such systems may be daunting, particularly in hydrogen fuel applications.
Unlike existing fuels, where hazards are widely understood, hydrogen fuel applications require substantial education efforts, for which the traditional PSM framework may not be the best fit. The collective challenge is maintaining the level of safety gained from decades of existing hydrogen applications and effectively applying that knowledge to these new applications. This is where industry leadership, like AcuTech’s involvement with the Center for Hydrogen Safety, plays a pivotal role in advocating for the adaptation and implementation of PSM frameworks.
The Importance of Process Safety Management Systems
A robust PSM system is not just a recognized global best practice; it is essential for preventing accidents, ensuring operational integrity, and protecting the environment. Over the past 50 years, PSM systems have been proven to improve safety across a variety of industries. Applying these principles to hydrogen production, transportation, and use, can significantly reduce risks throughout the hydrogen lifecycle.
AcuTech’s commitment to hydrogen safety aligns with our belief in the importance of modernizing and promoting the application of PSM frameworks across the entire hydrogen industry. We continue to advocate for the integration of process safety as the cornerstone of a safe, sustainable hydrogen future, ensuring that as the industry grows, it does so with the highest standards of safety and responsibility in place.
Explore Our Insights on Hydrogen Safety
To gain further insights into the critical importance of process safety in hydrogen applications, we invite you to view our presentations on Process Safety for Hydrogen Use in Energy Decarbonization and Process Safety Management for the Hydrogen Industry on our website. These slides offer valuable perspectives on how we are shaping the future of hydrogen safety.