478710 Hydrogen Jet Vapor Cloud Explosion:  a Model for Predicting Blast Size and Application to Risk Assessment

Monday, March 27, 2017: 2:00 PM
217CD (Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center)
Derek Miller, Chief Engineer's Office, Air Products, Allentown, PA, J. Kelly Thomas, Baker Engineering and Risk Consultants, Inc. (BakerRisk), San Antonio, TX, Simon Jallais, R&D, AIR LIQUIDE, PARIS SACLAY, France and Elena Vyazmina, R&D, AIR LIQUIDE, Paris Saclay, France

Hydrogen Jet Vapor Cloud Explosion:  A Model for Predicting Blast Size and Application to Risk Assessment

Simon Jallais and Elena Vyazmina

Air Liquide R&D

1 Chemin de la Porte des Loges - Les Loges-en-Josas

78354 JOUY-EN JOSAS

Simon.Jallais@AirLiquide.com, Elena.Vyazmina@AirLiquide.com

Derek Miller
Air Products

7201 Hamilton Boulevard
Allentown, PA 18195-1501
Millerd3@AirProducts.com

J. Kelly Thomas, Ph.D.

Baker Engineering and Risk Consultants (BakerRisk)

3330 Oakwell Court, Suite 100

San Antonio, TX  78218-3024

KThomas@BakerRisk.com

Releases of hydrogen at elevated pressures form turbulent jets which may pose vapor cloud explosion (VCE) as well as jet fire hazards.  The turbulence induced by the jet release can lead to flame speeds sufficient to produce damaging blast loads if the release is not immediately ignited, even in the absence of confinement or congestion.  The VCE hazard posed by such high pressure hydrogen releases is not well-recognized.

The authors have previously presented test data and computational fluid dynamic (CFD) modeling analyses which characterize high pressure hydrogen releases and the associated VCE hazard.  The current paper provides an overview of this VCE hazard, presents a simplified method for predicting the potential resultant blast loads, and discusses the implications of such events for building siting analyses and risk assessments.


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See more of this Session: Fires, Explosions, and Reactive Chemicals I
See more of this Group/Topical: Global Congress on Process Safety