Reliability considerations in Hydrogen Safety Lifecycle Management

Hydrogen facilities present safety challenges that differ from those in conventional process industries. Properties such as high leak propensity, low ignition energy, rapid dispersion, and material embrittlement significantly influence how risk and reliability must be managed across the safety lifecycle. This paper outlines an integrated approach to applying IEC 61508 and IEC 61511 within hydrogen systems, focusing on reliability considerations from early concept development through the Safety Requirements Specification (SRS) phase. The paper discusses how reliability must be adapted to address data scarcity, fast event escalation, stringent response-time requirements, and the need for redundancy and diversity in leak detection and shutdown functions.

Keywords: Hydrogen, Reliability, Functional Safety, Safety Lifecycles.