Hydrogen production via electrolysis: State-of-the-art and research needs in risk and reliability analysis

Abstract

Water electrolysis is the primary production technology for clean hydrogen, and thus ensuring safe and reliable deployment and operation of electrolyzers is essential to global sustainability efforts. In this paper, electrolytic hydrogen production pathways and upcoming deployment capacities are briefly discussed. Then we examine the main risk and reliability challenges and analyze the state of the art in quantitative risk assessment (QRA) of electrolysis technologies. We identify gaps in electrolysis QRA studies and present recommendations to enable more robust risk and reliability analysis for these technologies. Recommendations and opportunities for research to fill these gaps include: developing and adopting a system reliability approach in electrolysis risk analysis, developing and disseminating detailed electrolysis system design documentation, developing reliability data collection and analysis methods and tools, conducting importance measures analysis, conducting uncertainty analysis and propagation, developing electrolysis QRA standards, and creating programs to develop and educate the hydrogen risk and reliability workforce.