Hydrogen Safety, Codes, and Standards

Sandia’s hydrogen safety, codes, and standards research program develops the technical data and scientific understanding necessary to offer science-based improvements to the codes and standards that define the safe use of hydrogen. These codes and standards are critical for the broader use and deployment of hydrogen.

Our research includes the study of behaviors and characteristics of a hydrogen release, including dispersion, accumulation, ignition, flame radiation, and overpressure. The team develops models to describe these phenomena and generates high-fidelity data that can be used to validate and verify these models. These models and data are, in turn, combined with quantitative risk assessment methodologies to develop the HyRAM+ software tool that supports DOE’s larger Hydrogen Safety, Codes, and Standards Program. Our research also works to improve the understanding of hydrogen effects on materials and applies that understanding to assess design implications of hydrogen infrastructure, develop and assess test methodologies for fracture and fatigue testing of materials in hydrogen environments, and develop selection criteria and requirements for relevant codes and standards.