Safety Analysis of Hydrogen Electric Coupling System

The hydrogen electric coupling system (HECS) is an indispensable component of next generation power systems, with safety being a prerequisite for its deployment. However, existing studies have conducted limited analysis on the safety of HECS. This study comprehensively investigated the safety risks and accident consequences of HECS. 75 potential failure modes were identified by Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA), with electrical issues and sealing problems emerging as key contributors to medium and high-risk accidents, respectively. Event Tree Analysis (ETA) were employed to elucidate the main causes and logical chains leading to combustion. Results showed that ignition sources in the environment are the primary triggers, and the hydrogen compression system had a high accident frequency. Numerical simulations of hydrogen leakage and dispersion in confined spaces were conducted, enabling quantitative evaluation of jet fire, flash fire, and explosion consequences. The simulations revealed that hydrogen initially dispersed along the leakage direction, spread laterally upon encountering walls, and finally accumulated near the ceiling. Integrating consequence analysis with risk assessment standards, we found that the greatest injury distance (15.2 m ignition at 5.01 s) caused by the hydrogen storage system explosion, followed by the hydrogen production system (9.5 m ignition at 8.01 s). The maximum injury distances for the compression system and fuel cell system are 7.5 m and 6.7 m, respectively. This research provided critical insights into hazard sources and injury distances in HECS, laying the foundation for safety measure development.