Publications

Liquid Hydrogen Heavy-Duty Vehicle Safety Review and Refueling Facility Design

Baird, Austin R.; Hecht, Ethan S.; Ehrhart, Brian D.; Muna, Alice B.

Liquid hydrogen (LH₂) used as a fuel onboard a heavy-duty vehicle can result in increased storage capacity and faster refueling relative to compressed gas. However, there are concerns about hydrogen losses from boil-off, potential safety issues, gaps in codes and standards for cryogenic hydrogen fuel, and technical challenges with LH₂ systems for widespread transportation applications. A failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA), a safety codes and standards review, and a design review of the onboard liquid hydrogen system for a heavy-duty vehicle identified some of these potential safety issues and gaps in the codes and standards. The FMEA identified some medium and low risk failure points of the conceptual design, and the design review identified how carefully pressure relief needs to be considered for LH₂ systems. In addition, a conceptual design for a LH₂ refueling station was developed. Rough capital costs for the refueling station design were $\$1 million$ and the layout occupied approximately 13,000 ft². These results can be used to inform future designs and analyses for LH₂ heavy-duty vehicles.