As hydrogen continues to gain momentum as a key part of the global energy transition, safety remains central to its success.
Leading that effort is AIChE's Center for Hydrogen Safety (CHS), a global, non-profit community dedicated to advancing hydrogen safety and best practices worldwide.
A key part of that work is the Hydrogen Safety Panel, a group of experts who identify risks, share lessons learned, and guide safer hydrogen projects across the industry.
In this interview, Danielle Murphy, Principal Engineer and Hydrogen Services Lead at WHA International, shares how her path from early hydrogen research to forensic engineering shaped her perspective on safety. She also offers a closer look at how the panel supports the industry and what organizations should keep in mind as hydrogen technologies evolve.
Can you share what first sparked your interest in hydrogen and how your career in this space developed?
Oddly enough, my path toward hydrogen started with a mechanical engineering internship that convinced me what I didn't want to do and motivated me to go to graduate school.
I knew I wanted to pursue research in sustainable energy to support growing energy demands while reducing the impact on our planet. I was fortunate to land a research assistantship at the Colorado Fuel Cell Center (CFCC) at Colorado School of Mines, where I conducted research on fuel reforming for solid oxide fuel cells.
I'm embarrassed to admit that when I finished my PhD, I was skeptical the hydrogen economy would grow enough to support a meaningful career in industry. So I left hydrogen research to pursue a lifelong fascination with combustion (fires and explosions) through forensic engineering.
As it turns out, things came full circle. My early work in hydrogen and experience in forensic engineering eventually combined into a career where I now work in both areas, helping advance hydrogen technologies while ensuring they're developed and deployed safely.
From your perspective, what role does the Hydrogen Safety Panel play in improving safety in the hydrogen industry?
At its core, the panel serves as a resource for the hydrogen community. We handle everything from tricky safety challenges to reviewing safety plans, supporting risk assessments, and sharing lessons at conferences and through published guidance.
What makes the panel valuable is our collective perspective. We see beyond single projects and spot broader trends in hydrogen technology design and use. We support each other in disseminating accurate, technically sound safety content, so when the panel publishes something, it reflects a well-rounded, collective viewpoint rather than one person's opinion.
Panel members share a deep commitment to safety and knowledge sharing. We're actively involved in advancing hydrogen technologies through our organizations or consulting roles. Many also serve on codes and standards committees, helping translate lessons learned into industry-wide improvements.
Ultimately, the panel guides the industry toward a safer future, ensuring hydrogen grows with strong safety foundations and shared best practices.
Your work spans forensic investigations, research, and training. How do these experiences shape your approach to hydrogen safety?
I've always avoided thinking too narrowly, and working across different industries and disciplines lets me approach problems from multiple angles.
Forensic engineering shows me how and why things go wrong, which directly informs (and motivates) how I think about prevention and safety. That experience carries into training, where it's as much about learning from participants and their real-world challenges as sharing lessons learned.
The same thinking applies to design reviews and risk assessments, where the goal is identifying potential gaps before they become problems. One of the most rewarding parts is connecting those gaps back to research: digging deeper to better understand risks and improve how we address them.
As hydrogen technologies continue to evolve, what are the most important safety considerations organizations should keep in mind?
The industry is still learning. Codes and standards are evolving quickly, and while they provide critical guidance, they shouldn't be treated as a black-and-white, one-size-fits-all rulebook.
Understanding the context in which they were developed is crucial, especially in a rapidly changing field like hydrogen.
Informed and thorough risk assessments are essential for safe implementation of hydrogen technologies. Hydrogen is unique, and so are the operating pressures and systems.
We need to carefully consider fuel properties and the use conditions as the foundation of any safety evaluation. Failure modes and consequences used for other fuels may not directly apply to hydrogen.
Employee training is critical. Risk assessments are only as effective as the people conducting them.
Join Danielle's upcoming course to work through real-world NFPA 2 challenges and case studies
