About the project
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).
The project 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.
SAFEN aims to develop cost-efficient risk-based methods and toolkits that will replace the current methodologies considered to be conservative approaches for renewable sector applications.
The project is led by Safetec and executed in close cooperation with the consultancy companies DNV, Vysus Group, Gexcon, and Proactima. The industry partners include Aker Horizons, BW Offshore, DSB, Equinor, Gassco, Gen2 Energy, Origin Energy, Vår Energi, and Yara who are participating with funding, data, and experience in the 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.
Project objectives
- Establish the knowledge required to develop risk-based methodologies enabling cost-efficient safety design across the renewable sector involving hydrogen, ammonia, and CO2.
- Set up an environment for knowledge sharing and data that enables continuous development of best practices for safe design technologies under the scope.
Work packages for the Phase 1 of the project
- WP1 – Detailed definition of scope
- WP2 – Compilation of statistical data
- WP3 – Failure mode analysis
- WP4 – Ignition mechanisms and ignition probability
- WP5 – Methodologies and input to safety standards
Gexcon's role in the project
Gexcon leads 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.
