(88e) Spill Containment for Liquid Hydrogen Storage Located at Public Fueling Stations

Automobiles using hydrogen as a fuel are being developed as a potential solution to reduce dependency on oil. Hydrogen fueling stations for these vehicles will be needed for this developing technology. Since the network of hydrogen pipelines is limited, the use of liquid hydrogen storage is an option for these fueling stations. Liquid hydrogen has been safely stored at industrial sites for the past 50 years by following codes that were developed for this purpose. As this technology moves forward and liquid hydrogen is stored at sites available to the public, codes are being developed suggesting that containment for liquid hydrogen should be provided in the event a large spill occurs. Since liquefied natural gas (LNG) has been used in vehicle fueling applications, and containment of these systems is required, this study compares a liquid hydrogen spill to one of LNG. This paper models the types of liquid hydrogen spills that may occur and discusses the potential containment issue.