As part of the H2A effort, the Hydrogen Delivery Scenario Analysis Model (HDSAM) was developed to provide a user-friendly tool to estimate the cost of hydrogen delivery for a range of markets, demand levels and infrastructure configurations. HDSAM focuses on hydrogen delivery using currently available technologies. Delivery is defined to include not only transport, but also the series of transformation, packaging and storage stages through which hydrogen must pass as it is moved from a production facility to a forecourt and ultimately onto a hydrogen-fueled vehicle. HDSAM was built to provide a platform for comparing (a) the total cost contribution and (b) the component-level breakdown of delivery cost for various delivery options in the context of alternative market types and sizes with associated demand densities.

Since its completion in early 2006, HDSAM Version 1.0 has provided inputs to a number of analytical efforts including the development of multi-sector energy models, transition models and financial models, analyses of stranded assets and employment impacts, and various case studies. HDSAM has also been subject to detailed review as part of ongoing H2A Delivery Analysis, a joint effort by researchers at Argonne National Laboratory, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the University of California at Davis, the Nexant Corporation, ChevronTexaco Joint Ventures, Air Liquide, TIAX LLC, and the Gas Technology Institute, with support from the US Department of Energy's Office of Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and Infrastructure Technologies. This paper reports on improvements incorporated into HDSAM Version 1.5, their effect on results, and ongoing model enhancements.