Gexcon is pleased to announce our involvement in the innovation project Safe Energy Carriers (SAFEN) as a founding member.
SAFEN is a Joint Industry Project (JIP) that aims to close the identified knowledge gaps in understanding failure mechanisms, hazards and accident situations in renewable technologies involving hydrogen, ammonia and carbon capture and storage (CCS).
“To progress the development of hydrogen facilities at scale, it is imperative that we further our understanding of hydrogen, ammonia and carbon dioxide to safely account for these hazards during design,” said Gexcon’s Vice President Hydrogen Safety, Fiona Mitchell-Corbett, “SAFEN will deliver practical outcomes to aid industry and we’re delighted to be involved”.
About SAFEN
SAFEN will facilitate international collaboration to develop and maintain a database, which will allow for effective knowledge sharing and learning on how to reduce driving risk factors and provide a benchmark to help understand the consequence of reducing barriers.
The project will develop cost-efficient risk-based methods and toolkits that will replace the current methodologies considered to be conservative approaches for renewable sector applications.
SAFEN Project consists of a highly competent team of asset owners and consultants. It is co-funded by Equinor, Vår Energi, Yara, Aker Clean Hydrogen, Origin Energy (Australia), Gassco, Gen2 Energy, and DSB. Gexcon alongside selected consulting companies will execute this prestigious project.
The JIP consists of two phases comprising literature research, risk analysis, and experimental research which are planned to be executed over 2022 and 2023.
Gexcon’s role in SAFEN
Gexcon will lead the work package on ignition mechanisms and ignition probability, where we will focus on ignition models by investigating ignition sources and establishing the probability of ignition.
The current ignition models available require many details about the operation site to calculate the probability of ignitions occurring and determine the risk level. These approaches are not cost-effective because they make it necessary for asset owners to invest in precise design and detailed information on the site before they have insight into whether they are allowed to build the site in a chosen location. Therefore, we need an approach that can answer the risk level question in the early phase. To learn more about Gexcon Consulting’s solutions for hydrogen safety and risk assessment studies, please reach us at info@gexcon.com.
Gexcon has appointed Ørjan Knudsen, Principal Engineer, as the lead from Gexcon for the SAFEN project.
“We will work in close cooperation with the other consultant partners in order to make a framework for risk analysis that is practical, consistent, and not overly conservative. This will ensure risk management work in future hydrogen projects gives value where it is needed – at the bottom line of risk reduction,” said Ørjan.
You can learn more about the SAFEN project here.
