Effect of hydrogen concentration, initial pressure and temperature on mechanisms of hydrogen explosion in confined spaces

Abstract

Hydrogen as a renewable clean energy raises industrial safety and environmental issues. Studying the mechanism of hydrogen explosion in confined space is significant for guiding the risk assessment and efficient use of hydrogen energy. This paper used a 20 L explosion chamber to explore the effect of initial concentration changes on the hydrogen explosion and verify the model, the CHEMKIN simulation software was used to qualitatively and quantitatively evaluate the dynamic behavior characteristics of hydrogen explosion in confined space under different initial conditions, and the variation law of physical process of hydrogen explosion under different influencing factors in confined space was revealed from macro-micro perspectives. This study shows that the maximum explosion temperature and pressure under fuel-rich conditions are generally higher than those under fuel-lean conditions. The induction period of the hydrogen explosion reaction gradually shortens as the initial pressure increases, there is a negative temperature coefficient effect of ignition delay at the initial temperature of 800 K. In addition, compared with the initial pressure, higher explosion temperature and faster reactant mixing speed significantly affect the gas explosion reaction rate. The molar fractions of free radicals H, O, and OH show an inverted V-shaped relationship with the initial hydrogen concentration, and there is a hysteresis phenomenon in the final molar fraction peak of H free radicals; Sensitivity analysis indicates that free radicals are mainly responsive to the intermediate reaction R16 (forward direction) and R9 (reverse direction), thereby affecting parameters such as explosion pressure and temperature. These research findings can provide theoretical support for developing hydrogen explosion suppression technology.