Improving Hydrogen Safety for Energy Applications (HySEA) was a project supported by the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen 2 Joint Undertaking (FCH 2 JU) under the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, with Gexcon as the coordinator.
Project Summary
The HySEA project aimed to conduct pre-normative research on vented deflagrations in enclosures and containers for hydrogen energy applications. Its goal was to support the safe and efficient adoption of hydrogen energy systems by introducing harmonised vent sizing standards.
The project also developed a hierarchy of predictive models, ranging from empirical engineering models to advanced computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and finite element (FE) tools.
Project Objectives
- Generate experimental data of high quality for vented deflagrations in real-life enclosures and containers with congestion levels representative of industrial practice;
- Characterise different strategies for explosion venting, including hinged doors, natural vent openings, and commercial vent panels;
- Invite the larger scientific and industrial safety community to submit blind predictions for the reduced explosion pressure in selected well-defined explosion scenarios;
- Develop, verify and validate engineering models and CFD-based tools for reliable predictions of pressure loads in vented explosions;
- Develop and validate predictive tools for overpressure (P) and impulse (I), and produce P-I diagrams for typical structures with relevance for hydrogen energy applications;
- Use validated CFD codes to explore explosion hazards and mitigating measures in larger enclosures, such as warehouses; and
- Formulate recommendations for improvements to European (EN-14994), American (NFPA 68), and other relevant standards for vented explosions.
Experiment Examples
HySEA Test 09
- 24 vol% H2
- No vent devices
- Internal pressure approximately 1.1 bar
HySEA Test 24
- 21 vol% H2
- Plastic foil vent devices in ceiling
- Very low overpressure
Consortium
The HySEA consortium partners included Gexcon (coordinator), the University of Warwick, Università di Pisa, Impetus, Fike Europe, and Hefei University of Technology (HFUT).
The HySEA project was funded by the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen 2 Joint Undertaking (FCH 2 JU) under grant agreement No. 671461. This Joint Undertaking received support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme, as well as contributions from the United Kingdom, Italy, Belgium, and Norway.
The HySEA consortium members extend their sincere gratitude to the HySEA Advisory Board for their valuable contributions:
- Y.F. (John) Khalil (United Technologies Research Center, UTRC)
- Simon Jallais (Air Liquide)
- Elena Vyazmina (Air Liquide)
- Derek Miller (Air Products)
- Carl Regis Bauwens (FM Global)
Conference Papers
Simulating vented hydrogen deflagrations: improved modelling in the CFD tool FLACS-Hydrogen, Eighth International Conference on Hydrogen Safety (ICHS 2019)
Structural response of 20-foot shipping containers during vented hydrogen deflagrations, Twenty-Seventh International Colloquium on the Dynamics of Explosions and Reactive Systems (27 ICDERS)
Numerical investigation of venting through roof for an ISO containers, Twenty-Seventh International Colloquium on the Dynamics of Explosions and Reactive Systems (27 ICDERS)
Modelling approach for vented lean deflagrations in non-rigid enclosures, Ninth International Seminar on Fire and Explosion Hazards (ISFEH9)
Modelling of flow past obstacles in vented explosions, Seventh International and Forty-fifth National Fluid Mechanics and Fluid Power Conference (FMFP 2018)
Vented hydrogen deflagrations in 20-foot ISO containers, Twelfth International Symposium on Hazards, Prevention and Mitigation of Industrial Explosions (XII ISHPMIE)
Blind-prediction: estimating the consequences of vented hydrogen deflagrations for inhomogeneous mixtures in 20-foot containers, Twelfth International Symposium on Hazards, Prevention and Mitigation of Industrial Explosions (XII ISHPMIE)
Phenomenological modelling of external cloud formation in vented explosions, Twelfth International Symposium on Hazards, Prevention and Mitigation of Industrial Explosions (XII ISHPMIE)
Comparison of engineering and CFD model predictions for overpressures in vented explosions, Twelfth International Symposium on Hazards, Prevention and Mitigation of Industrial Explosions (XII ISHPMIE)
Fluid structure interactions modelling in vented lean deflagrations, Twelfth International Symposium on Hazards, Prevention and Mitigation of Industrial Explosions (XII ISHPMIE)
Blind-prediction: estimating the consequences of vented hydrogen deflagrations for homogeneous mixtures in 20-foot containers, Seventh International Conference on Hydrogen Safety (ICHS 2017)
Vented hydrogen deflagrations in containers: effect of congestion for homogeneous mixtures, Seventh International Conference on Hydrogen Safety (ICHS 2017)
Performance evaluation of empirical models for vented lean hydrogen explosions, Seventh International Conference on Hydrogen Safety (ICHS 2017)
The role of the flow field generated by the venting process on the time history of a vented deflagration, Seventh International Conference on Hydrogen Safety (ICHS 2017)
Homogeneous hydrogen deflagrations in small scale enclosure: experimental results, Seventh International Conference on Hydrogen Safety (ICHS 2017)
Vented hydrogen deflagrations in an ISO container, Seventh International Conference on Hydrogen Safety (ICHS 2017)
Experimental measurements of structural displacement during hydrogen vented deflagrations for FE model validation, Seventh International Conference on Hydrogen Safety (ICHS 2017)
Consequence models for vented hydrogen deflagrations: CFD vs. engineering models, Seventh International Conference on Hydrogen Safety (ICHS 2017)
Structural response for vented hydrogen deflagrations: coupling CFD and FE tools, Seventh International Conference on Hydrogen Safety (ICHS 2017)
Influence of congestion on vented hydrogen deflagrations in 20-foot ISO containers: homogeneous fuel-air mixtures, Twenty-Sixth International Colloquium on the Dynamics of Explosions and Reactive Systems (26 ICDERS)
Evaluation of engineering models for vented lean hydrogen deflagrations, Twenty-Sixth International Colloquium on the Dynamics of Explosions and Reactive Systems (26 ICDERS)
Numerical modelling of vented lean hydrogen–air deflagrations using HyFOAM, Twenty-Sixth International Colloquium on the Dynamics of Explosions and Reactive Systems (26 ICDERS)
Validating, documenting and qualifying models used for consequence assessment of hydrogen explosion scenarios, Eleventh International Symposium on Hazards, Prevention and Mitigation of Industrial Explosions (11 ISHPMIE)
Journal Papers
Vented hydrogen deflagrations in weak enclosures: experimental results and implications for industrial practice, Chemical Engineering Transactions, 77: 685-690
Effect of ignition position on vented hydrogen-air explosions, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 40: 15780-15788
Experiments on vented hydrogen-air deflagrations: the influence of hydrogen concentration, Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, 48:254-259
Explosion venting of rich hydrogen-air mixtures in a small cylindrical vessel with two symmetrical vents, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 42: 7644-7650
Numerical simulation of flame acceleration and DDT in h2-air mixtures with concentration gradients, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 42: 7657-7663
Structural response for vented hydrogen deflagrations: coupling CFD and FE tools, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 44: 8893-8903
Newsletters
Fourth HySEA newsletter, Distributed on 30 November 2018
Third HySEA newsletter, Distributed on 30 November 2017
Second HySEA newsletter, Distributed on 30 November 2016
First HySEA newsletter, Distributed on 28 November 2015
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