LIVERMORE, Calif. — Sandia National Laboratories’ (HyRAM), a first-ever software toolkit to assess the safety of hydrogen fueling and storage infrastructure, is now available at.
Sandia will introduce the toolkit, which integrates hydrogen safety data and methods, during a webinar April 26. Register at http://energy.gov/eere/fuelcells/webinars.
“HyRAM provides a common platform for individuals conducting quantitative risk assessment and consequence analysis for hydrogen systems,” said Sandia risk analyst Katrina Groth. “Sandia has done extensive research to ensure that the toolkit will provide standards development and code development organizations with state-of-the-art, validated science and engineering models.”
Development of HyRAM began several years ago through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s (EERE) Fuel Cell Technologies Office, and it has been tested and demonstrated to a variety of stakeholders. The HyRAM toolkit addresses key barriers to hydrogen infrastructure deployment, including limited access to safety data, lack of models describing hydrogen behavior and the need for technical data for revising standards. Developing hydrogen codes and standards can be challenging because the relevant models and technical data span multiple scientific and engineering disciplines.
The HyRAM toolkit integrates state-of-the-art models, methods and data used to inform fire codes to provide a common platform for assessing hydrogen safety. With the HyRAM platform, this information becomes accessible to engineers, code officials and risk analysts to quantify accident scenarios, predict physical effects and characterize the impact of hydrogen hazards on humans and structures.
HyRAM provides the scientific basis and documented methodology that ensure code requirements are consistent and defensible. In addition, HyRAM reduces industry burden and allows hydrogen safety experts to obtain safety insights using a common set of tools. HyRAM formalizes the tools and methods that were employed in recent updates to building codes from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). This risk-informed approach in the revised code has been shown to significantly increase available locations for deployment of hydrogen refueling infrastructure in California, as the state develops a network of more than 100 hydrogen-refueling stations.
Sandia’s Hydrogen and Fuel Cell program provides the science and engineering to accelerate the deployment of clean and efficient hydrogen and fuel cell technologies. The program leverages a diverse set of assets across Sandia, including expertise in grid modernization, renewable energy production and materials science.