Barriers for Mitigation of Unintended Releases of Hydrogen
Barrier walls have been proposed as a means for reducing the exposure to accidental jet flames from commercial hydrogen refueling systems. While reducing the jet extent, the walls may introduce other hazards if not properly configured. A combined experimental and modeling program is being carried out by Sandia National Laboratories to investigate barriers using a quantitative risk assessment approach. The goal of this work is to provide guidance on configuration and placement of these walls to minimize overall hazards. Modeling and experimental results are presented for hydrogen jet flame deflection, overpressure from ignition, and concentration envelopes for unignited jet deflection. The performance of several different types of barrier configurations are evaluated and discussed based on results from the modeling and experimental studies.