Functional safety-oriented hazard analysis and risk assessment for vehicular fuel cell systems

Area of Science:

• Automotive Engineering
• Chemical Engineering
• Safety Engineering

Background:

• Functional safety is crucial for modern automotive design.
• Vehicular fuel cell systems present unique safety challenges, particularly concerning hydrogen handling.
• Existing safety assessments need enhancement for advanced automotive technologies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and apply a hazard analysis and quantitative risk assessment (QRA) methodology for vehicular fuel cell systems.
• To identify and mitigate potential hazards associated with fuel cell vehicle operation.
• To optimize fuel cell system architecture for improved hydrogen safety.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the automobile generic hazard list for hazard identification.
• Employed hazard and operability (HAZOP) studies to determine failure modes and effects.
• Applied quantitative risk assessment (QRA) to evaluate risks and consequences.
• Implemented a redundant design for system architecture optimization.

Main Results:

• Identified key hazards in vehicular fuel cell systems.
• Quantified risks and consequences using QRA.
• Calculated failure frequency and unavailability of the fuel cell system.
• Demonstrated a 94.4% reduction in hydrogen leakage risk unavailability and a 36.8% reduction in failure frequency through optimized architecture.

Conclusions:

• The proposed functional safety methodology effectively addresses hazards in fuel cell vehicles.
• Optimized system architecture significantly enhances hydrogen safety.
• The study provides valuable insights for improving the safety and reliability of future fuel cell vehicles.