[ safety ]
Hydrogen gas safety standards and best practices
Part 3 : gas trains
Parts 1 and 2 of this series addressed the safety considerations for industrial storage of hydrogen and the best practices for implementing a hydrogen leak detection system for an industrial facility . As a fuel , hydrogen can be combusted in several different ways . This article analyzes gaseous hydrogen systems , specifically the design of a gas train leading up to an industrial burner . The design includes an array of valves , instruments , safety devices , and a purge system so that a hydrogen combustion burner can operate safely and efficiently .
By Milad Eskandar , Daniel Brosig and Matt Russell , Gas Cleaning Technologies LLC
Gas train overview
Gaseous fuel is often carried from its source to the destination burner system through an uninterrupted pipeline originating from an industrial storage system . To ensure the safe flow of the gaseous fuel from the end of the uninterrupted pipeline to the burner nozzle , a specifically designed array of usercontrollable valves , instruments , and safety devices is introduced , allowing the burner to operate safely and enabling control over the efficiency and characteristics of the flame . This system is often referred to as a gas train .
Hydrogen gas poses several safety hazards when compared with typical hydrocarbons flowing through a gas train . These hazards are primarily based on the physical properties of hydrogen and its interactions with materials . Hydrogen has a lower explosivity limit ( LEL ) of 4 vol % in air and an ignition energy of 0.019 mJ , which is approximately one order of magnitude lower than that of common hydrocarbons , increasing the risk of explosions . 1 , 2 Hazards related to the explosivity of hydrogen mainly arise during startup and shutdown , when maintenance is being performed , or in the event of a leak . Additionally , hydrogen gas presents material compatibility issues due to the phenomena of hydrogen embrittlement and hydrogen attack .
A gaseous fuel supply has minimum design requirements outlined in the National Fire
24 Hydrogen Tech World | Issue 11 | August 2023