Enhancing Safety and Operation of Hydrogen Fueling Stations: A Model-based Method for Complex Failure Scenario Analysis

As a zero-emission fuel, hydrogen provides a promising solution with significant potential to meet the increasing demand for clean energy alternatives. Hydrogen fueling stations are essential infrastructure for the commercialization of hydrogen fuel cells, but the flammability of hydrogen poses safety challenges throughout its lifecycle. Past incidents highlight the need for robust risk assessments, starting with comprehensive hazard identification and failure scenario analysis.
This paper proposes using Multilevel Flow Modelling (MFM), a functional modeling method integrated with reasoning capability, to support safety evaluations. MFM enables the structured representation of system functions and supports tasks such as fault diagnosis and hazard analysis. Previously applied in nuclear, offshore, and chemical systems, MFM is here used to model a liquid hydrogen fueling station. This paper demonstrates that a developed MFM model identifies failure scenarios related to hydrogen leaks, overpressure, and operational reliability issues.
This paper conducts a comparison between MFM and traditional methods, FMEA and FTA, and demonstrates MFM's strength in handling the key challenges rooted from complex failure interactions. Results suggest MFM is complementary to traditional methods and can enhance risk assessments. MFM also contributes to digitalization in safety assessment and monitoring systems, ultimately improving hydrogen fueling station reliability and safety.