Open Access

Abdel Karim Habib, Martin Kluge, Kees van Wingerden

• Large-scale experiments have been performed to investigate the possible consequences of realistic amounts of liquified hydrogen (LH2) encountering water. The experiments aimed at simulating an accidental release of LH2 during especially the fuelling of a ship. For liquified natural gas (LNG) it has been demonstrated that when spilled onto water the evaporation rate can be that high that physical explosions occur which are referred as rapid phase transitions (RPTs). It cannot be excluded that RPTs are also possible in the case of LH2. The tests were performed in a 10 m x 10 m x 1.5 m basin filled with water, at the Test Site Technical Safety of the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und –prüfung (BAM) in Horstwalde, Germany within a research cooperation between BAM and Gexcon as part of the SH2IFT program. LH2 releases were established releasing directly from a trailer carrying LH2 through a long flexible double vacuum insulated transfer line. The releases occurred from a height of 50Large-scale experiments have been performed to investigate the possible consequences of realistic amounts of liquified hydrogen (LH2) encountering water. The experiments aimed at simulating an accidental release of LH2 during especially the fuelling of a ship. For liquified natural gas (LNG) it has been demonstrated that when spilled onto water the evaporation rate can be that high that physical explosions occur which are referred as rapid phase transitions (RPTs). It cannot be excluded that RPTs are also possible in the case of LH2. The tests were performed in a 10 m x 10 m x 1.5 m basin filled with water, at the Test Site Technical Safety of the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und –prüfung (BAM) in Horstwalde, Germany within a research cooperation between BAM and Gexcon as part of the SH2IFT program. LH2 releases were established releasing directly from a trailer carrying LH2 through a long flexible double vacuum insulated transfer line. The releases occurred from a height of 50 cm above and 30 cm under the water surface both pointing downwards and 30 cm under the water surface pointing along the water surface too. The release rate was determined based on the weight loss rate of the road tanker which was placed onto load cells. Special blast pressure sensors were used to measure the shock waves generated by the release processes both in the water and in the air. At several locations the gas concentration was measured. Heat radiation was measured at 3 distances from the point of release. High speed, Infrared (IR) and normal cameras were used to record events and to follow the gas cloud behaviour in time. This includes cameras mounted on a UAV and underwater cameras. Two weather stations were used to measure wind speed, wind direction, temperature and humidity during all tests performed. All investigated release configurations resulted in a very chaotic LH2-water mixing zone, causing considerable evaporation but only minor over pressures. The main phenomenon observed was an ignition of the released gas cloud, resulting in significant blast wave overpressures and heat radiation to the surroundings. The location of the ignition occurred in free air at some distance from the instrumentation and release location.…