[기획] Korea Gas Safety Corporation… Positioned as an agency in charge of hydrogen safety-Energy Daily

“Preparing for the era of hydrogen economy…accelerating the establishment of hydrogen safety management infrastructure”
“Resolve the hydrogen safety blind spot… Leading the world’s best hydrogen economy”

[에너지데일리 조남준 기자] Korea Gas Safety Corporation is pursuing a’quick leap toward the hydrogen economy’, such as establishing a hydrogen safety infrastructure with the goal of this year’s business. Gas Safety Corporation was designated as a hydrogen safety agency with the establishment of the Hydrogen Economic Committee in early July of last year. ‘Hydrogen = explosives’ was to clear the misunderstanding and to play a pivotal role in spreading safety culture such as safety education and publicity. Accordingly, from January 1, the KTO expanded and reorganized the Hydrogen Safety Center into the Hydrogen Safety Technology Institute, and increased the number of dedicated personnel in the hydrogen field to 80.
In particular, the Korea Gas Safety Corporation is a strategy to focus its capabilities on establishing a fast-paced hydrogen safety infrastructure and establishing a private-led autonomous safety management system in preparation for the post-corona and hydrogen economy era.
In addition, the Gas Safety Corporation is pursuing various tasks such as securing the safety of hydrogen products and commercial vehicles, expanding opportunities to educate and experience hydrogen safety for the public, and fostering hydrogen safety experts. It is a strategy that KDHC will help to create a world-class leading hydrogen economy by eliminating blind spots through various hydrogen industry safety management policies as an agency in charge of hydrogen safety. Visit the Korea Gas Safety Corporation to view the construction of hydrogen safety infrastructure.

■Establishment of’Hydrogen Products Test Lab’, an essential infrastructure for securing safety

Korea Gas Safety Corporation is the only gas safety management organization established in Korea to protect the lives and property of the people from the dangers of gas.

In addition to inspecting and inspecting various gas facilities, it oversees most of the tasks related to gas safety, such as certification, education, public relations, research and development, and gas accident investigation.

In particular, the KTO established and operated a safety management system for the hydrogen industry as it was designated as an agency in charge of hydrogen safety management by the Hydrogen Economic Committee in early July of last year. KDHC plans to establish a’hydrogen product test laboratory’, which is an essential infrastructure for securing the stability of hydrogen products, to establish safety standards for hydrogen products and facilities using hydrogen fuels, and to provide intensive support such as safety education and international cooperation projects.

The KTO has secured a budget of 19.5 billion won for the construction of a’hydrogen supplies test laboratory’ and is promoting a site competition with the goal of completion in December 2022. The’Hydrogen Products Testing Center’ will build 47 types of hydrogen products testing facilities on a gross floor area of ​​3494㎡.

Through this, legal inspections of four types of low-pressure hydrogen products, such as water electrolysis facilities, hydrogen extraction facilities, and fixed and mobile fuel cells, which had a gap in existing safety management, are carried out.

When the test laboratory is built, it is expected to secure the safety of hydrogen products and to relieve public anxiety related to hydrogen.

■ Promote construction of hydrogen gas safety experience training center

Korea Gas Safety Corporation is promoting the safety of the hydrogen economy in Korea, promoting hydrogen and gas safety based on experience, and building a’hydrogen gas safety experience training center’ for hydrogen professional training.

The Hydrogen Gas Safety Experience Education Center, which will be built for the first time in Korea in the Chungbuk Innovative City, will be built with a site area of ​​1,698m2, a total building area of ​​2475m2, and two stories above ground. It will be organized as a space for promoting hydrogen energy safety, gas safety experience training, and fostering hydrogen safety management experts.

The KTO signed a business agreement with Eumseong-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do, which was selected as the negotiator for the’Hydrogen Gas Safety Experience Education Center’ in September of last year, followed by site selection and an architectural design competition in November, granting architectural design rights to the winning works, with the goal of completion in 2022.

In order to build an experiential education center for “producing the safety of Korea’s hydrogen economy,” we are currently in the process of selecting an exhibitor designing, manufacturing, and installing the exhibits to materialize it based on the basic conceptual design of the exhibits.

When the’Hydrogen Gas Safety Experience Education Center’ is completed, it is expected that hydrogen will be able to establish itself as a more friendly energy source to the public as well as an opportunity to improve awareness of hydrogen.

In particular, the Hydrogen Gas Safety Experience Education Center, which will lead Korea’s hydrogen economy and spread the future energy safety culture, not only promotes the eco-friendliness of hydrogen and the infinite expandability of resources, but also actively promotes the safety of hydrogen to improve the acceptance of hydrogen to the public. It is expected to be a welcome to economic traction.

■ Hydrogen bus safety evaluation technology and equipment development project

Gas Safety Corporation secured a budget of 10.27 billion won by entrusting a research service for the’Hydrogen Bus Safety Assessment Technology and Equipment Development Project’ by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport last year, and for large-capacity pressure-resistant containers and hydrogen bus parts according to the government’s expansion plan for hydrogen commercial vehicles. It is also promoting the establishment of inspection equipment.

The inspection of internal pressure vessels and parts of hydrogen vehicles has been carried out by the Korea Gas Safety Corporation Energy Safety Verification Research Center in accordance with Article 57-8 of the Enforcement Regulations of the Automobile Management Act.

In this study, we will develop a technology for evaluating the safety of each vehicle and parts of a hydrogen bus to prevent secondary accidents (fires and explosions) due to hydrogen leakage during operation or accidents, and to secure the safety of the driving system.

The developed evaluation and inspection technology will be enacted and revised as domestic safety standards, and international cooperation will be reinforced with international standards proposals. In addition, it plans to develop a total of 19 types of equipment, including inspection equipment for hydrogen bus operating vehicles, performance evaluation equipment for driving systems, and global-level certification test equipment for reinforcing the safety of large-sized pressure containers, and use them for test and certification.

An official of the Corporation said, “This study contributes to the activation of the supply of hydrogen buses that have been verified, and we expect to ensure the safety of the public due to accidents.” “The Corporation will continue to strive to understand the safety improvement of hydrogen vehicles in the future.”

■ Strengthen safety management of hydrogen charging stations

The Korea Gas Safety Corporation, together with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, is actively promoting the strengthening of safety management and support for charging businesses for hydrogen charging stations, which are rapidly increasing in supply.

In particular, it plans to carry out follow-up measures for pilot projects such as safety evaluation at hydrogen charging stations without any problems. The safety evaluation of a hydrogen charging station is a risk assessment conducted before the construction phase of a charging station.

Considering the location conditions of the charging station, etc., the damage impact of the gas leakage is analyzed. Through the pilot project, the Korea Gas Safety Corporation transparently disclosed to the outside the safety evaluation in which external experts participated and the reinforcement measures according to the evaluation results.

It also meticulously prepares supplementary matters for the pilot project of the hydrogen charging station precision safety diagnosis project. Precision safety diagnosis is a method that enhances the level of safety compared to the existing regular inspections to reinforce the safety of hydrogen charging stations after the construction stage.

If the existing regular inspection was a safety inspection focused on the exterior of the facility, precision safety diagnosis uses various advanced equipment to check all parts of the facility, such as mechanical devices and electrical instruments.

It is also planning to promote stronger safety management by conducting expert safety consulting in parallel.

Gas Safety Corporation plans to alleviate the safety concerns of residents near charging stations by preparing institutional supplements based on the results of these pilot projects.

■Win-win development with the hydrogen industry… Enhancement of pre-safety management capabilities, etc.

Various projects are also being promoted for win-win development with the hydrogen industry. As the current domestic hydrogen industry’s manpower and safety management capabilities are relatively insufficient, the KTO is focusing on safety management manpower and capacity building projects.

In particular, KDHC has also made efforts to improve the education system to secure and cultivate safety management personnel for hydrogen charging facilities. Part of the Enforcement Decree of the High-Pressure Gas Safety Management Act in May 2019 was revised to allow a person to be appointed as a safety manager (responsible person and safety manager) for a hydrogen charging facility after obtaining a general facility safety manager qualification.

In addition, in order to cultivate hydrogen safety management experts in the hydrogen field last year, the’Five-Year Hydrogen Safety Manpower Development Plan’ was established, and it is developing an education program to cultivate hydrogen charging station builders and safety managers.

It is also contributing to fostering hydrogen professionals through the development of convergence courses with related universities, and is striving to secure safety throughout the entire hydrogen economy, including product testing, commercial vehicle component certification, public relations, and education.

In addition, a win-win cooperation program to ease the burden of hydrogen charging station operators is also underway. In order to prevent accidents and strengthen construction capabilities due to lack of experience in hydrogen charging stations, the’Standard Construction and Maintenance Manual for Hydrogen Charging Stations’ will be produced and distributed to contractors and operators of hydrogen charging stations.

In order to reduce safety management costs at charging stations, various safety inspection equipment is being rented free of charge, and safety management fees are also being reviewed to reduce the burden of safety management costs.

The KTO also promoted the revision of the enforcement regulations of the High Pressure Gas Safety Management Act and enactment of subordinate laws of the Hydrogen Act to strengthen the safety management of low pressure hydrogen facilities.

■ Establishment of real-time monitoring system for hydrogen vehicle charging stations in the first half

The Korea Gas Safety Corporation will establish a real-time monitoring system for hydrogen charging stations until the first half of this year for safety management of hydrogen vehicle charging stations nationwide.
The establishment of a real-time monitoring system is being promoted to relieve public anxiety caused by hydrogen-related accidents in 2019.

With a total project cost of 1.3 billion won, the KTO will complete the installation of monitoring software from this year to the first half of this year for all hydrogen charging stations in 40 locations across the country.

The charging station monitoring system receives danger signals such as hydrogen leak detectors, emergency shut-off devices, and flame detectors at the hydrogen charging station, and signals when pressure, temperature, and flow rate abnormalities occur in compressors, compressed gas facilities, chargers, etc. Contact the manager to check the facts.

If it is not confirmed, the Gas Safety Corporation will take preemptive measures to prevent gas accidents, such as urgent dispatch to determine the situation.

Gas Safety Corporation is looking forward to providing safety information to users of hydrogen charging stations, including notification of the operation status of hydrogen charging stations, and strengthening communication and cooperation with hydrogen business operators and agencies in charge of hydrogen safety.

The KTO also plans to create a consensus on hydrogen safety through the production and use of the website of an agency in charge of hydrogen safety.

An official of the Gas Safety Corporation’s Hydrogen Safety Center said, “When the monitoring system is established, the charging station operator and construction can quickly respond through double monitoring.” It is expected that it will contribute to relieving public anxiety about hydrogen charging stations.”

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