Abstract

The accidental leakage of hydrogen poses a significant barrier to the widespread adoption and development of hydrogen energy due to the potential risks of fire, explosion, and jet fire hazards. Experimental investigations have been conducted on the process of jet fires formed by igniting hydrogen jet streams after accidental releases in scenarios such as high-pressure hydrogen gas storage tanks and hydrogen transmission pipelines. These experiments utilized a release pipe with a diameter of 10 mm and a length of 0.75 m, along with three pressure sensors, to study the influence of release pressure and ignition position on jet flame overpressure and flame propagation. Extensive tests at 1.5 MPa yielded a hydrogen flammability map containing two nonflammable zones and one flammable zone, along with a graph illustrating the relationship between overpressure and ignition points. Furthermore, experiments conducted at ignition positions of 0.05, 0.5 and 1.0 m under release pressures ranging from 6 to 10 MPa revealed that release pressure had no significant effect, while ignition position notably influenced the waveform and peak of the shockwave. Additionally, a peak shockwave reaching 30 kPa was observed at the downstream of the pipe outlet when ignited at 0.05 m, far exceeding the threshold of 24 kPa associated with fatalities. This research aims to provide valuable insights for safety design and protection distance considerations in scenarios involving hydrogen release and ignition.