Hydrogen

In the move towards a low carbon future, hydrogen is seen as an important energy vector. Given the  characteristics of hydrogen, this presents a change of risk profile in a previously known risk landscape. Risktec has used risk and safety engineering techniques developed for traditional high hazard industries to manage the risk hydrogen has presented in a number of applications in the value chain.
 

Services we provide

Risktec has significant experience in delivering safety and risk management services to consultants, EPCs and owner/operators of hydrogen facilities including, but not limited to, the following:

  • Risk Identification and Assessment Studies such as:
    – Hazard Identification (HAZID)
    – Failure Mode, Effects and Criticality Analysis (FMECA)
    – Desktop Safety Review (DSR)
    – Hazard and Operability Study (HAZOP)
    – Layers of Protection Analysis (LOPA)
    – Safety Integrity Level (SIL)
  • Risk Management, Bowtie Analysis, Safety Case, Health, Safety and Environment Management System Development
  • Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA), Facility Siting Studies (FSS), Consequence Modelling and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
  • Hazardous Area Classification (HAC)
  • Escape, Evacuation and Rescue Analysis (EERA), Emergency Systems Survivability Analysis (ESSA) or Emergency Response Procedure Development
  • Reliability, Availability, Maintainability (RAM) Study
  • Regulatory compliance assessments e.g. Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) Regulations, Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations (DSEAR) and ATEX (explosive atmosphere) Directives assessments
  • Hydrogen Safety Assurance Training

Regulatory requirements and the hydrogen economy

A range of regulations, codes and standards has been established through years of hydrogen use in industrial applications.

By way of an example, the regulatory requirements in the UK and US are based on threshold quantities of hydrogen, whereby a facility could fall within Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) or OSHA Process Safety Management (PSM) regulatory requirements. Risktec has extensive experience of supporting clients with COMAH and PSM regulations, and producing deliverables and supporting studies.

Areas of expertise

Risk identification and assessment

Risktec offer a range of risk identification and assessment studies such as HAZID, HAZOP, Bowtie and Hazardous Area Classification assessments to analyse and advise on various aspects of facilitiy design and operation.

Consequence modelling

Due to the high pressure storage and dispensation of hydrogen, the consequences of potential releases can be widespread and severe, so characterising the consequences is crucial. As such, Risktec provide consequence modeling using specialist software to allow full understanding of potential consequences.

QRA / CFD

Risktec provide Quantitative Risk Assessments (QRA) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) support to high hazard industries to assess risks associated with all areas of design, operations and maintenance.

Emergency response

Risktec is able to carry out emergency, evacuation and response assessments, can develop emergency response procedures for hydrogen facilities, or assess existing emergency response procedures to ensure that they are suitable and effective for the facility.

Training

Risktec provides a unique training and education service, from single client-focussed training courses to a Risktec professional qualification or master’s programme in Risk and Safety Management. We have developed and provided a course in ‘Hydrogen Safety Assurance’, alongside bespoke training offering, for a number of clients.

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Inspection

Risktec provide a comprehensive service in Asset Integrity Management (AIM) for pressure systems, including outage/turnaround support, and vendor inspection. We provide inspection strategies and work scopes that enable compliance with statutory requirements and industry good practice, coordinating and delivering all site inspection, as well as integrity assessment, weld repair solutions, component life extension and failure assessment.

Hydrogen Competence Centre

Risktec forms an integral part of the TÜV Rheinland group, and together have launched a Hydrogen Competence Centre to collaboratively offer services for the safe production, storage, transportation and use of hydrogen. The aim of this is to provide partners from the business community with services along the entire value chain in the use of hydrogen as an energy carrier.

Want to speak to a member of the Risktec Hydrogen Team?

Contact us today