Research on Hydrogen Energy Application Prospects and Safety Countermeasures in Ports

China waterborne transport research institute, Beijing China

^* Corresponding author’s e-mail: gaoruichu@wti.ac.cn

Abstract

Ports are significant application scenarios and targets for hydrogen energy, with their locational advantages and infrastructure strengths providing favorable conditions for the production, storage, transportation, and utilization of hydrogen. This paper investigates the current status of hydrogen energy applications in ports, their planning objectives, and existing safety issues, and proposes recommendations for safety countermeasures. The study finds that in China’s ports, typical near-term applications mainly involve replacing various loading and unloading machinery and horizontal transport equipment with hydrogenpowered alternatives; mid-term applications include the use of hydrogen-powered vessels and hydrogen shore power sources; and long-term applications encompass hydrogen-fueled vessel transport terminals. In these scenarios, there exist legal compliance, safety concerns in the storage, handling, refueling, transportation, and use of hydrogen within the port area. The research suggests that to further enhance the inherent safety level of hydrogen energy applications in ports, it is necessary to optimize the regulatory mechanisms and systems for hydrogen energy infrastructure, develop a safety technical standard system, elevate the awareness of risk control, and strengthen the capacity building for emergency response involving hydrogen energy.