Training for safe use of hydrogen
The growing use of hydrogen instead of fossil fuels means that more people and organisations need to know how to handle the gas safely. Staff of organisations dealing with hydrogen infrastructure seldom have the required knowledge, potentially increasing hazards and costs. The HYFACTS project did not intend to develop any technologies. Rather, the six-member consortium was a Coordination and Support Action aimed at developing and disseminating relevant training materials. The successfully developed materials focus on fundamental aspects of hydrogen safety. The undertaking ran from February 2011 to July 2013. Work began with establishing the project website and identifying relevant contacts. A questionnaire was placed on the website and issued to the contacts in order to tailor the packages to the needs of their intended audience. The project received 76 answers, which were analysed for what they indicated about client needs in terms of training content, duration and frequency. The input was incorporated into the project's materials. The project produced a technical document of 376 pages containing relevant engineering information and international standards. The document was adapted to a more usable form as a course hand-out for participants. The hand-out was modified following each of three short courses, leading to a fifth and final version completed in 2013. HYFACTS developed training materials dealing with the subject of safe hydrogen storage and usage. Among much else, the packages will facilitate regulatory approval of hydrogen infrastructure, leading to widespread adoption of hydrogen as a primary fuel.
Keywords
Hydrogen, training materials, engineering information, hydrogen infrastructure, hydrogen safety, international standards, hydrogen storage
