Mitigating Disruptions in the Distribution Centre for the Australian Household Hydrogen Supply Chain

Chakrabarty, P; Paul, S; Trianni, A; Saha, S

Mitigating Disruptions in the Distribution Centre for the Australian Household Hydrogen Supply Chain

Chakrabarty, P

Paul, S Trianni, A Saha, S

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Publisher:: MDPI AG
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Energies, 2026, 19, (ISSN 1996-1073), pp. 1226-1226
Issue Date:: 2026-02-28

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Chakrabarty, P https://orcid.org/0009-0005-6010-2548
dc.contributor.author	Paul, S
dc.contributor.author	Trianni, A
dc.contributor.author	Saha, S
dc.date.accessioned	2026-03-01T02:52:42Z
dc.date.available	2026-03-01T02:52:42Z
dc.date.issued	2026-02-28
dc.identifier.citation	Energies, 2026, 19, (ISSN 1996-1073), pp. 1226-1226
dc.identifier.issn	1996-1073
dc.identifier.issn	1996-1073
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/193752
dc.description.abstract	Australia is committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, a goal that may require a major transformation of the household energy sector. Hydrogen can, however, be deployed as a complementary energy source to electricity by displacing natural gas. But the potential for hydrogen to make this transition is dependent on building a credible Australian household hydrogen supply chain (HHSC), which includes national distribution centres (NDCs), regional distribution centres (RDCs) and local distribution centres (LDCs). The HHSC is particularly vulnerable to operational disruptions under rapid adoption pathways and in perfect-competition market conditions, where infrastructure, supply, and pricing decisions are decentralised. Hydrogen flows may be disrupted at the NDCs and RDCs, leading to failure to meet demand and monetary losses across the HHSC. While many studies have assessed vulnerabilities within hydrogen supply chains, there is little attention paid to the consequences of distribution-level failures. This research aims to quantify the impacts associated with distribution centre (DC) disruptions in the HHSC using a multi-period network optimisation model to assess three operational situations: ideal situations, disrupted-DC situations without mitigation strategies, and disrupted-DC situations with suitable mitigation strategies. The results indicate that without mitigation strategies, demand fulfilment could potentially drop to zero, penalty costs could increase drastically, and profitability could decrease due to not meeting demand. In contrast, the implications of suitable mitigation strategies, including rerouting hydrogen through alternate, unaffected NDCs or RDCs, using spare capacity by increasing operating hours, and maintaining safety stock at RDCs, significantly increase HHSC performance. In these situations, demand fulfilment increases to up to 95%, and profitability improves substantially. This study contributes to the hydrogen supply chain literature by demonstrating how HHSCs can be planned and replanned to manage disruptions in DCs. The study also provides practical insights for policymakers and managers for a sustainable HHSC.
dc.language	en
dc.publisher	MDPI AG
dc.relation.ispartof	Energies
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.3390/en19051226
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject	02 Physical Sciences, 09 Engineering
dc.subject.classification	33 Built environment and design
dc.subject.classification	40 Engineering
dc.subject.classification	51 Physical sciences
dc.title	Mitigating Disruptions in the Distribution Centre for the Australian Household Hydrogen Supply Chain
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	19
utslib.location.activity	Australia
utslib.for	02 Physical Sciences
utslib.for	09 Engineering
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology/Engineering and IT Related HDR Students
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
pubs.consider-herdc	false
dc.rights.license	This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.date.updated	2026-03-01T02:52:39Z
pubs.issue	ISSN 1996-1073
pubs.publication-status	Published online
pubs.volume	19
utslib.citation.issue	ISSN 1996-1073

Abstract:

Australia is committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, a goal that may require a major transformation of the household energy sector. Hydrogen can, however, be deployed as a complementary energy source to electricity by displacing natural gas. But the potential for hydrogen to make this transition is dependent on building a credible Australian household hydrogen supply chain (HHSC), which includes national distribution centres (NDCs), regional distribution centres (RDCs) and local distribution centres (LDCs). The HHSC is particularly vulnerable to operational disruptions under rapid adoption pathways and in perfect-competition market conditions, where infrastructure, supply, and pricing decisions are decentralised. Hydrogen flows may be disrupted at the NDCs and RDCs, leading to failure to meet demand and monetary losses across the HHSC. While many studies have assessed vulnerabilities within hydrogen supply chains, there is little attention paid to the consequences of distribution-level failures. This research aims to quantify the impacts associated with distribution centre (DC) disruptions in the HHSC using a multi-period network optimisation model to assess three operational situations: ideal situations, disrupted-DC situations without mitigation strategies, and disrupted-DC situations with suitable mitigation strategies. The results indicate that without mitigation strategies, demand fulfilment could potentially drop to zero, penalty costs could increase drastically, and profitability could decrease due to not meeting demand. In contrast, the implications of suitable mitigation strategies, including rerouting hydrogen through alternate, unaffected NDCs or RDCs, using spare capacity by increasing operating hours, and maintaining safety stock at RDCs, significantly increase HHSC performance. In these situations, demand fulfilment increases to up to 95%, and profitability improves substantially. This study contributes to the hydrogen supply chain literature by demonstrating how HHSCs can be planned and replanned to manage disruptions in DCs. The study also provides practical insights for policymakers and managers for a sustainable HHSC.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/193752