Abstract
Hydrogen is expected to penetrate economies and gain more and more interest from several sectors. The urgency of addressing climate change makes its capability to be carbon neutral very attractive. The glass sector, being energy-intensive, is eligible to be among the pioneers of new hydrogen applications, using it as a fuel in furnaces and replacing natural gas. However, introducing hydrogen in this sector involves technical changes due to the impacts on the process and the management of the plant: a thorough investigation of the main challenges of this implementation is needed. In addition, hydrogen has safety-critical properties; therefore, the new part of the plant responsible for hydrogen production and supply to the furnace introduces emerging risks to this sector, which is not familiar with hazardous substances. This study focuses on the safety implications of having green hydrogen production on-site and evaluates the impact of selecting a specific size of PEM electrolyzer through a consolidated approach based on Inherent Safety Key Performance Indicators. Copyright © 2025, AIDIC Servizi S.r.l.