Risk associated to Hydrogen Storage and its Transportation in the Context of Conakry, Republic of Guinea

Abstract

The energy demand is a major challenge given the defective roads and the population explosion in the city of Conakry. Faced with this difficulty, petrol stations are the services of the energy source for the consumer. Thus, the risks associated with these installations including fire and explosion attract more attention. However, hydrogen grafting at these petrol stations could be an alternative to this situation, hence the topic "Risks related to the storage and transport of hydrogen in the context of Conakry, Republic of Guinea". The aim of this research is to identify the risk associated to hydrogen storage and its distribution based on the risk associated to petroleum to identify the potential risk in case of hydrogen use in the same station in Conakry. Specifically, it involves (i) the study of hydrogen storage and transportation standards, (ii) an inventory of the storage and transport of petrol and gas, (iii) proposing a scenario of the risks associated with the storage and transport of hydrogen referring on hydrocarbons, and (iv) finally, to propose measures and solutions to minimize the risks of storage and transport of hydrogen in Conakry. The approaches used are based on documentary exploitation, survey and mapping and direct field observation. Google Earth Pro, Arc QGIS 3.16 were used to complete satellite image processing and map development. The associated risk assessment was carried out by selecting several scenarios using the SWOT analysis. The results show that there are more than 100 existing gas stations in the city of Conakry. However, these service stations are mostly located in the area not suitable for hydrogen integration. Only a service station located in the appropriate area is favourable to accommodate hydrogen technologies in the city of Conakry. Taking into account the considerations developed by the respondents in this survey and on the basis of standard documents, it is clear that accidents may occur either by failure of equipment and means of protection or by act of malice by the recklessness of users and employees. Some of these accidents involve flammable cloud fire and explosion phenomena. The accident scenarios to be retained could therefore consist in considering leaks accidental or intentional fuel occurring on distribution areas, attacks coming from the outside. To ensure the safety of the plant operator, customers and people around the refuelling station, additional mitigation plans were proposed. Future in-depth studies to validate the distances between the equipment of the energy station by modelling in case of accidental leaks, fire and explosion are necessary as well as the specification of the classification of hazardous areas in which any potential ignition source can be adequately controlled.