PR Management in Hydrogen Explosions: Lessons from Three Hydrogen Explosions in Korea.

[NNadir]

I make no secret of my contention that selling hydrogen is just an exercise in greenwashing fossil fuels, that is PR, public relations.

Because hydrogen gas is unsuitable as a consumer fuel being dangerous, as accidents with trained hydrogen handlers demonstrate, PR is an important in selling the lie that it can be safely handled. I note that the occurrence, all over the world, of hydrogen accidents, takes place when hydrogen "energy" - useful energy, exergy, is destroyed in making hydrogen - is trivial, as it has been for half a century of hydrogen hype.

The article I'll discuss in this post is this one: Youhyun Lee, Min Hyuk Cho, Min Chul Lee, Young Jin Kim, Evaluating hydrogen risk management policy PR: Lessons learned from three hydrogen accidents in South Korea, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 48, Issue 63, 2023, Pages 24536-24547.

The International Journal of Hydrogen Energy has continuously in print since 1976, this without a hydrogen nirvana ever breaking out.

The article begins with reiterating that so called "renewable energy" will make hydrogen green, although so called "renewable energy" itself remains a trivial form of energy that has done nothing to address the extreme climate conditions we now endure.

From the bullshit introduction in the text:

Even after witnessing the global pandemic and energy crisis induced by the Russia-Ukraine war, the aims of cleaner and greener energy are increasing to meet carbon neutrality targets [[1], [2], [3], [4]]. To achieve carbon neutrality, the transition to green energy is essential [1,5]. Here, green renewable energy, such as solar and wind, is highly dependent on the climate and has regional variations [6]. However, hydrogen—an energy carrier—is an alternative that can compensate for these limitations of renewable energy; it has various advantages and cannot only respond to decarbonization and global warming but also contributes to energy security by increasing energy self-sufficiency [7] when combined with oxygen in a fuel cell or combustion engine (see Table 3, Table 4, Table 5, Table 6, Table 7, Fig. 1, Fig. 2, Fig. 3).

Every sentence it his paragraph is tiresome wishful thinking. Hydrogen is overwhelmingly made on this planet by the steam reformation of dangerous fossil fuels at a loss in the original energy content of the dangerous fossil fuel in question. There is no rational plan to meet carbon targets, none, zero, zilch.

A graphic in the paper shows the three hydrogen accidents in Korea, and their dates and locations, that have to be sold with "don't worry, be happy" rhetoric to minimize the seriousness of the accidents:



The caption:

Fig. 1. Cases of domestic hydrogen safety accidents.

I note that the eight people killed in the Gangneung Hydrogen Tank Explosion - they were killed instantly - is more people than were killed by radiation leaks at Fukushima.

The article text continues:

In the case of South Korea, since the previous government, renewable energy has been actively pursued with an emphasis on the hydrogen economy [[8], [9], [10], [11]]. The roadmap for revitalizing the hydrogen economy was announced in 2019 b y the Moon Jae-in administration, and the basic plan for a hydrogen transition was announced in 2021. As the new government of Yoon Seok-Yeol came to power in 2022, there were concerns that policy interest in hydrogen energy might decrease. However, the new government also promised to invest in hydrogen in various fields, and fostering the hydrogen industry was presented as a national task (MOTIE, 2022)...

...but...but...but...

...However, one of the biggest factors hindering the vitalization of Korea's hydrogen industry and economy is the low rate of policy acceptance by the general public [8,12] Over the past four years, three large and several small hydrogen safety accidents have occurred in Korea. These hydrogen safety incidents were communicated to the public through the media, sometimes not transparently, not promptly, and only partially, leading to a remarkably low acceptance of hydrogen energy. There are precedents of hydrogen-related accidents not only in Korea but also in Norway [[13], [14], [15]], and as the use of hydrogen energy and industrial development are activated worldwide, concerns about hydrogen safety are becoming graver [16]
.
In particular, in a situation where the central government of each country, including South Korea, is implementing strong hydrogen economy leadership, hydrogen risk management policy PR is the most important. A positive hydrogen risk management policy PR will play a pivotal role in improving the acceptance of hydrogen energy as a whole [17]...

Yeah, right, "PR is important," especially if you're selling rebranding fossil fuels as "hydrogen."

Let's be clear on something, the whole "hydrogen economy" fantasy has always been PR, shown here and elsewhere with slick dishonest videos with high production values and zero intellectual integrity.

The article notes that concern is not limited to Korea, but exists elsewhere:

...However, one of the biggest factors hindering the vitalization of Korea's hydrogen industry and economy is the low rate of policy acceptance by the general public [8,12] Over the past four years, three large and several small hydrogen safety accidents have occurred in Korea. These hydrogen safety incidents were communicated to the public through the media, sometimes not transparently, not promptly, and only partially, leading to a remarkably low acceptance of hydrogen energy. There are precedents of hydrogen-related accidents not only in Korea but also in Norway [[13], [14], [15]], and as the use of hydrogen energy and industrial development are activated worldwide, concerns about hydrogen safety are becoming graver [16].

In particular, in a situation where the central government of each country, including South Korea, is implementing strong hydrogen economy leadership, hydrogen risk management policy PR is the most important. A positive hydrogen risk management policy PR will play a pivotal role in improving the acceptance of hydrogen energy as a whole [17]...

The rest of the article consists of suggestions on how to bullshit the public that hydrogen is safe, not that any amount of bullshit can do so. It does include some brief comment on the reality of hydrogen risks:

...Hydrogen has some technical limitations in production, distribution, and safety compared to conventional energy carriers; it has a low energy density, there is limited distribution and delivery, and it is highly flammable...

...but don't worry, be happy...

...Even with these limitations, hydrogen is still a promising energy carrier and has the potential to meet carbon neutrality targets [39,40]; thus, policy PR on this should be discussed more in our society. There tends to be more apprehension about hydrogen-related facilities, as hydrogen leakage accidents or hydrogen explosions can sometimes occur [26,41,42]...

Don't worry, be happy.

A Giant Climate Lie: When they're selling hydrogen, what they're really selling is fossil fuels.

Oh. I forgot. We always need a graphic, don't we? I like this one:



The caption:

Figure 1. Global current sources of H2 production (a), and H2 consumption sectors (b).

Progress on Catalyst Development for the Steam Reforming of Biomass and Waste Plastics Pyrolysis Volatiles: A Review Laura Santamaria, Gartzen Lopez, Enara Fernandez, Maria Cortazar, Aitor Arregi, Martin Olazar, and Javier Bilbao, Energy & Fuels 2021 35 (21), 17051-17084]

Have a nice weekend in the waning days of US democracy and sanity.

[GoreWon2000]

1. Green hydrogen is the future

I'm curious to know what your schooling and work experience is concerning this issue? My engineer father with bachelors from MIT and masters from the University of Miami degrees in engineering, more than 40 years of aviation and automotive engineering experience and was a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers believed that green hydrogen is the solution. Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe. You fail to realize that fossil fuel is not needed to generate green hydrogen. You also fail to take note of how explodable the gasoline in the tank in your current car is right now. You Tube is full of videos of exploding gas powered cars as well as exploding gas stations. Let's also not forget all of the fires that are being caused by lithium batteries. I'm currious to know what your solution is for a new energy source is once the fossil fuel that currently generates 80n% of electricity runs out?

[OKIsItJustMe]

3. "Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe."

I hate this statement. It’s true, but irrelevant.

“Green” hydrogen is not an energy source, it is not grown, it is produced. Typically, water (H₂O) is split, using electricity, producing H₂ & O₂. The electricity must be generated somehow (solar power, wind power…) To make use of the hydrogen, it is recombined with oxygen (in a fuel cell, in an engine…) becoming water again.

In this scenario, hydrogen is described as an “energy carrier.” Effectively, the hydrogen is stored solar power, or wind power…

“Green hydrogen” is more like a battery than (for example) nuclear power.

[GoreWon2000]

4. Green hydrogen is the future

My engineer father with bachelors and masters degrees in engineering, more than 40 years of aviation and automotive engineering work experience and was a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers believed that green hydrogen is the solution. Most of the electricity that's used today to charge batteries is generated by burning the planet killing fossil fuel. The supply of fossil fuel is finite which will require a new source of energy. There are many ways to generate green sourced hydrogen. Batteries involve the use of many toxic materials and the mining of the toxic materials is causing additional damage to our planet. Nuclear power isn't green because no one has figured out what to do with the toxic waste.

[OKIsItJustMe]

5. I'm all in favor of "green hydrogen"

However, “green hydrogen” is simply a way of storing and transporting energy which has been generated using some renewable source (“Wind” or “Solar” for example.)

[GoreWon2000]

6. Your schooling and work credentials on this issue are?

[OKIsItJustMe]

7. Irrelevant

My engineer father with bachelors and masters degrees in engineering, more than 40 years of aviation and automotive engineering work experience and was a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers believed that green hydrogen is the solution. …

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argument_from_authority

[OKIsItJustMe]

2. PR Management in Nuclear Meltdowns, lessons from 3 notable examples

When a reactor at Three Mile Island melted down, the “authorities” lied about it.

When a reactor at Chernobyl melted down, the “authorities” lied about it. (I knew a woman who lived in Kiev at the time. She was told nothing, but she noticed that buses arrived to take the important people somewhere. She had a phobia regarding rain, because she had let her children play in the rain, not knowing about the nuclear fallout it contained.) News about the accident became public when the plume was detected in Sweden.

When a tsunami hit the Fukushima nuclear complex, leading to multiple meltdowns, authorities lied.

That’s how to handle PR.