Abstract
Keywords
Hydrogen: fuel cells, properties, production, storage, safety
Abstract
Safety issues related to hydrogen use in fuel cells as the next energy carrier is reviewed from the viewpoint of properties and storage for the mobility sector of the economy. Hydrogen, a choice fuel for fuel cells is environmentally very clean and its wide application as a future fuel for the portable, stationary and mobile applications is projected to grow significantly in the coming years. For the general public to embrace hydrogen in the same manner fossil fuels are, a detailed assessment of the fuel properties, storage and handling requirements must be addressed.
The purpose of this paper is to assess the properties, safety and storage issues related to hydrogen, such that the public will accept hydrogen with the same degree of confidence, and in no less term than the fossils fuels. A wide comparison is drawn between the physical properties of hydrogen, alcohol and fossil fuels. A review of hydrogen safety, storage and sample tests on tank leaks in the garage gunfire test, tank drop tests and bonfire are presented.