After the Hulot plan of 2018 and then the national strategic plan for decarbonized hydrogen of 2020, the hydrogen sector is developing with the arrival of new players. Bureau Veritas puts all its knowledge and skills at the service of new productions and innovative uses of hydrogen. A comprehensive approach to guarantee the safety of all these projects launched throughout the territory.
BUreau Veritas supports the developmentt of the hydrogen sector for a long time, working alongside manufacturers throughout France. The acceleration of the growth of this sector and its new uses (stations, mobility, production by electrolysis with stakeholders, communities and start-ups) require support for projects with the aim of ensuring safety and compliance with standards and regulations. Bureau Veritas plays its role as an expert as an independent third party, in conjunction with all these stakeholders, old and new, to guarantee regulatory compliance and the essential level of safety.
“Our goal is for everyone to be able to have confidence in this energy, by avoiding any incident or accident,” explains Clément Poutriquet, hydrogen development director at Bureau Veritas. The work on risks consists of reducing the frequency of occurrence of dangerous phenomena and reducing their severity. There have been very few problems in the hydrogen industry for decades, but it is essential that new projects are supported on the safety aspect and that everyone adopts a safety culture. This is essential for the sustainability of this sector.”
Supporting hydrogen players
Bureau Veritas is currently working on the entire hydrogen ecosystem: from production (steam reforming, gasification, water electrolysis, etc.) to its uses (industrial applications), its distribution (injection into the network or stationary application) and mobility (stations, vehicles).
“Our work is multifaceted: helping to control risks related to hydrogen by listing and analyzing potential hazards, supporting the evolution of standards and regulations. It should be noted that while the regulatory context has existed for a long time (ICPE, etc.), some innovative sectors (electrolyzers, but also hydrogen stations, multi-fuel stations) do not yet have all the necessary standards, and Bureau Veritas may be called upon to intervene to complete the normative part and good practices in this context. Other missions: measuring and improving the performance of installations, evaluating projects and giving confidence to stakeholders,” explains Clément Poutriquet.
Indeed, it is often necessary to provide reassurance on projects involving several parties: communities, energy companies, manufacturers, etc. An organization like Bureau Veritas plays a role as a trusted third party to ensure the continuity of the project. An action that is all the more valuable since the risks are high. A smaller molecule, dihydrogen, which is very volatile, can explode in concentrations of 4 to 74%, with a low energy point since static electricity can create an explosion. It is then important to rely on a risk management methodology (ATEX zoning, ventilation, use of antistatic materials, etc.). The ideal is to intervene upstream of projects, to avoid developing a project based on bad assumptions that could call it into question completely due to non-compliance.
If possible, to control the risk, the monitoring of a hydrogen project should be done throughout its life cycle. From the pre-project phase by locking the regulatory context and carrying out preliminary risk analyses to ensure the feasibility of the project; during the design phase, to meet regulatory requirements (permitting, ICPE, CE compliance, etc.) and safety requirements (carrying out risk analyses, hazard studies, etc.). Then, during construction, to secure the execution of construction sites and co-activity. And when the installation is in service, inspections ensure regulatory compliance.
Finally, we must not neglect control of the supply chain: it is important to conduct supplier audits to limit risks.
Risk management, carbon footprint
For the hydrogen sector, the challenge is also, beyond regulatory issues, to demonstrate that it is a solution allowing use in line with sustainable development objectives. “We have a proactive approach in the development of the hydrogen sector, in particular via our Technical and Decarbonization Center,” adds Clément Poutriquet. We have developed a voluntary project certification scheme to help project leaders justify the implementation of a risk-based design approach. We have also developed a hydrogen carbon footprint certification scheme to help our customers transparently justify the “renewable” production of hydrogen for their consumers.”
To support the sector, Bureau Veritas has also developed training courses on the deployment of hydrogen. These training courses are all the more necessary since the new players do not necessarily have a background in the gas sector. Did you know, for example, that a hydrogen flame cannot be seen? It is invisible, and it is necessary for people working directlyt on a site or nearby workers (maintenance staff, etc.) and security personnel (firefighters, etc.) to know how to detect it, for example with thermal cameras, and to know how to react. Various training modules now exist and allow for a training and awareness effort on hydrogen to improve the skills of several professions.
Mobility
The development of hydrogen production facilities is accompanied by a growth in “hydrogen” vehicles. For this sector, risk prevention issues are crucial. Like what is in place for the energy production part, it is from the cconception and design that must be intervened. Compliance testing and risk management are at the heart of the concerns. To do this, Bureau Veritas intervenes at the time of testing vehicles or their components and during the usage phase to control hydrogen risks in the life of the vehicle (maintenance, workshops, etc.).
There is also the question of managing a vehicle fleet, particularly for communities: it is important to ensure that the premises are compatible, to control the risk of workers on the vehicles and the risks related to the installation, and to train and raise awareness among operators. Bureau Veritas is also working on securing charging stations.
“We are at a stage in the deployment of hydrogen where the players, but also the issues, are multiple, and this requires having a holistic approach to the hydrogen ecosystem. This is why we are involved in working groups and clubs such as France Hydrogène or Hydrogen Council to support the deployment of the hydrogen sector,” comments Clément Poutriquet.
Industrialists, communities, start-ups on one side, specific risks of hydrogen, but also cybersecurity on the other: the players and the subjects are multiple. The hydrogen sector faces major challenges, but solutions are being put in place and organizations like Bureau Veritas support this evolution for a development of hydrogen with complete confidence.
