Hydrogen Combustion in the Context of Fire and Explosion Safety (HYFIRE)
Professor Jennifer Wen, Director of Centre for Fire and Explosion Studies, Faculty of Engineering, Kingston University
In September 2006, Kingston University, in partnership with BP and the UK Health and Safety Laboratory (HSL), launched a 4-year fellowship project to provide early-stage training in the field of hydrogen safety. The project is funded by the European Commission’s Marie Curie Research and Training Programme with €1M budget. It aims to offer a unique opportunity for researchers in the early stages of their careers to acquire specific scientific skills and competencies in the diffusion, ignition and combustion of hydrogen within the context of fire and explosion safety. The principal output from the project will be the establishment for further development of a pool of EU trained researchers specialising in hydrogen fire and explosion safety, a relatively new field where such young talent is at present lacking.
The project is focused on cutting edge research in the underpinning areas of hydrogen safety. Systematic training is provided through research and dedicated training in the following multidisciplinary and interconnected areas:
- Hydrogen jet flames from very high-pressure release;
- Flame impinging on surfaces and the resulting effect on hydrogen transport cylinders and storage vessels;
- Liquid hydrogen spill and combustible cloud dynamics; and
- Hydrogen combustion in semi-confined and vented geometries and the conditions for deflagration-to-detonation (DDT) processes
The research is conducted using CFD based numerical modelling approaches while the abundant published experimental data from small- and large-scale tests will be used for model validation. Collaboration with BP and HSL also opens up further proprietary experimental data for this purpose.
Further details can be found through the following link to the Centre for Fire and Explosion Studies at Kingston University: engineering.kingston.ac.uk/research/CFES/index.php?CentreID=15 |
