PUBLICATIONS AND VIDEOS

SUMMARY

Many providers of small hydrogen process units are basing designs on converted ISO shipping containers or bespoke modules fitting those dimensions. The 2018 GexCon HYSEA project was an extensive pre-normative 60 explosion test programme involving 20ft ISO containers with varying degrees of internal congestion, vent area and gas concentration, always with quiescent homogeneous clouds. Results analysis found that the collapse strength of vented shipping containers is around 0.3 to 0.35 bar, with 5 containers destroyed during the test series.

Practical hydrogen applications involve higher congestion and gas turbulence than tested due to high pressure leaks, so that substantially higher peak pressures can be expected in practice. The industry prefers the taller “highcube” containers in place of the standard height containers used in tests which would reduce explosion resistance.

This webinar looks at strengthening schemes, more efficient (faster) roof venting, which is most important for reducing peak pressures and shortening impulse durations, and dealing with doors. Proposals are based on ISO 19880 part 1 2020 and advocate analysis methodologies.

Additional mitigation methods are considered: congestion reduction, venting doors, dealing with thermal insulation, fire, snow, security and unignited leaks. Site layout implications for explosion and fire are discussed including design of free-standing blastwalls and canopies over refuelling vehicles to enable reduced safety distances and improved inter-modular high-pressure piping arrangements.

New worldwide environmental goals involve a “circular economy”, implying amongst other things that process containers have to be able to be brought back from remote regions into areas of available technical expertise for maintenance and then returned quickly. This means they have to fully comply with rules governing transport of containers both by land and sea. Current vented ISO modules do not comply, but proposed designs will. The webinar ends with recommendations for follow-on validation and for improvements to current industry guidance and land use planning.