Beyond the conventional applications in the chemical, petrochemical, food and other process industries, hydrogen is also used in nuclear-related industries, where it is required as an active ingredient in large-scale processes to produce heavy water. The experience obtained during the design, construction and operation of such industrial installations, which use hydrogen, deuterium and hydrogen-containing compounds can contribute in favor of the development of safer hydrogen energy facilities. Thus, material selection, properties degradation studies and preventing technologies applied in the heavy water operations are useful tools that will help to overtake the transition towards the hydrogen civilization. (C) 2002 International Association for Hydrogen Energy. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.