Global risk assessment of hydrogen refueling stations: Trends, challenges, and future directions

This review examines global risk assessment methodologies for hydrogen refueling stations, focusing on hazard identification, consequence analysis, frequency analysis, and risk analysis. The study highlights regional contributions, including significant advances from Japan, China, and South Korea, alongside the transformative impact of the U.S. Sandia National Laboratories' HyRAM software and guidelines. HyRAM's integration of probabilistic and deterministic models has facilitated the standardization of hydrogen safety practices worldwide. Offsite HRS studies predominantly utilize quantitative risk-based methods, while onsite research addresses unique hazards associated with hydrogen production systems such as methylcyclohexane dehydrogenation and polymer electrolyte membrane electrolysis. Advanced commercial tools like FLACS and PHAST enhance dispersion modeling accuracy. The findings emphasize the need for harmonized risk assessment practices, international collaboration, and targeted research in underrepresented regions to support the safer deployment of hydrogen infrastructure as a sustainable energy solution.