A bibliometric review of hydrogen storage and transportation safety research

Review (2026)
Author(s)

Jiali Tang (Southwest Petroleum University)

Chao Chen (Southwest Petroleum University)

Bo Wang (Pipechina Yunnan Company, Kunming)

Changjun Li (Southwest Petroleum University)

Jie Li (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

Ming Yang (TU Delft - Technology, Policy and Management)

Ernesto Salzano (University of Bologna)

Research Group
Safety and Security Science
DOI related publication
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpse.2025.100425 Final published version
More Info
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Publication Year
2026
Language
English
Research Group
Safety and Security Science
Journal title
Journal of Pipeline Science and Engineering
Issue number
3
Volume number
6
Article number
100425
Downloads counter
10
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Abstract

Rising concerns over carbon emissions from fossil fuels have fueled interest in renewable energies. Hydrogen, as a clean energy source, stands out for its free of pollution and high calorific value. However, challenges in safely storing and transporting hydrogen, such as embrittlement, fire and explosion risks, are critical. This study reviews hydrogen storage and transportation safety research through a bibliometric approach, analyzing 948 relevant publications obtained from the Web of Science Core Collection, SCOPUS, and Science Direct literature databases since 2007. Then, a bibliometric analysis is conducted to obtain the publication's distribution, organization, source, and cooperation networks. Besides, the research hotspots in different periods are identified, and the evolution trend of hot topics is analyzed. Moreover, this paper proposes the possible future research needs in this field. The main hot topics in the field of hydrogen storage and transportation safety research include microstructure, crack, susceptibility, and hydrogen embrittlement and they change over time. In the future, research topics such as hydrogen damage in materials, compatibility of hydrogen in natural gas pipelines, and risk assessment should obtain more attention.