Hydrogen: Powering the future safely

Hydrogen is poised to play a pivotal role in the transition to a sustainable energy future. As the world strives to achieve net zero CO₂ emissions by 2050, hydrogen emerges as a crucial element in decarbonising the energy supply. Clean hydrogen — when produced using renewable energy or low-carbon methods — is essential for reducing emissions and could contribute to over 20% of annual global emissions reductions by 2050. This potential has spurred significant investments in hydrogen projects worldwide.

However, while hydrogen holds great promise, it also presents unique challenges due to its highly flammable nature. Hydrogen, in conjunction with oxygen, forms a highly explosive gas mixture. It is often under high pressure and extremely cold in its liquid state, necessitating extensive protective measures during manufacture, transport, and processing. Hydrogen and oxygen have an extremely wide flammability range of 4 to 78 percent by volume, at which ignition or an explosion can occur. Additionally, hydrogen requires much lower ignition energy than petrol or natural gas, making it more prone to ignition.

Effective risk management is paramount for all stakeholders in the hydrogen value chain, including manufacturers, operators, users, notified bodies, and insurers. Ensuring safety and minimising the risk of accidents are critical throughout the design, engineering, operation, and maintenance phases — particularly in the energy supply sector — to guarantee business continuity and public safety.

The critical role of functional safety and industrial security

When handling and using hydrogen, robust safety systems are essential to reliably prevent and manage hazardous situations. With so many factors to consider, it can be easy to lose track. Fortunately, we’ve identified the two most critical aspects to monitor: functional safety and industrial security. These ensure the safe monitoring and control of processes across the entire hydrogen value chain.

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Functional safety ensures that hydrogen production systems operate safely even in the event of malfunctions or faults. This includes monitoring and controlling safety-related functions such as pressure, temperature, and leak detection. Compliance with safety standards like EN IEC 61508 and SIL certifications helps in designing systems that can prevent hazardous situations, thereby minimising the risk of accidents.

Industrial security is equally important, especially with the increasing digitalisation of hydrogen production facilities. Protecting against cyber threats that could disrupt operations or cause safety incidents is crucial. Ensuring the integrity of data and controlling access to critical systems helps prevent unauthorised manipulation, which could lead to unsafe conditions. Continuous monitoring of networks and systems is essential to detect and respond to potential security breaches promptly.

Pilz: Your reliable partner in hydrogen safety

The field of wide-ranging, universal hydrogen applications is still in its infancy. A rapid market ramp-up requires leveraging existing technology know-how and assessing proven solutions. For decades, automation industry suppliers have focused on increasing efficiency and simplifying the multiplication of solutions. Tested, industry-proven solutions are therefore recommended for closer inspection in hydrogen projects.

By addressing both functional safety and industrial security, the hydrogen industry can mitigate risks and ensure the safe and efficient production of this vital clean energy source. Pilz supports stakeholders with its extensive experience in the global automation industry. As an ‘Ambassador for Safety’, Pilz has been committed to creating Machinery Safety standards for decades. More than 30 experts from Pilz are involved in almost 80 standards committees worldwide and are actively working on around 100 product and application standards.

Safety solutions for functional safety

• Safe small controller PNOZmulti 2: Controls and monitors the required safety functions.
• Automation system PSS 4000: Used on large plants, depending on the number of inputs and outputs required.
   

Both PNOZmulti 2 and PSS 4000 are certified up to SIL 3 of EN IEC 61511 and satisfy the requirement of EN IEC 61508.

Safety solutions for industrial security

With the increasing digital networking of plants and systems in hydrogen production, storage, and industrial applications, industrial security is crucial to protect sensitive plant data. Pilz offers tried and tested solutions for dealing with these threats:

Identification and Access Management (IAM): Provides support from user authentication to operating mode selection, and from data and network security to access management.

Security solutions: Protect the control network from manipulation through unauthorised access. The online connection is established via a VPN connection with role-based user management, developed in accordance with IEC 62443.

By integrating functional safety and industrial security, Pilz ensures that hydrogen projects are not only efficient but also safe and secure, paving the way for a sustainable energy future.

For more information, email Pilz at sales@pilz.com.au.

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