Elizabeth Ehrke with Chih-Jen Sung

Ignition Conditions of Hydrogen in a Tubular Reactor

The practicality and safety of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles has been scrutinized since the design originated. This project will investigate the unique situations under which hydrogen fuel leaks can ignite and possibly cause an explosion. Various metals found in fuel cell vehicles can act as catalysts to ignite hydrogen outside normal flammability limits. This has been shown extensively with high surface area tubular platinum catalysts used for propulsion purposes. Tubular reactors can be used to investigate the effect of residence time on the ignition of a hydrogen leak. The critical conditions for hydrogen ignition can be found by varying the flow parameters through tubular catalysts of the various metals found in fuel cell vehicles.

       This project will focus on the design and development of a tubular reactor to test ignition propensity for hydrogen/air mixtures under different conditions. The apparatus will include temperature control, fuel composition regulation and velocity control. The goals are to develop a working test apparatus and complete initial ignition tests on a catalyst tube. If time allows, tests will be completed for varying temperature, fuel consumption, flow rate, and surface to volume ratio of the tube. Additional materials can then be tested that may come into contact with leaking hydrogen fuel. The critical ignition conditions can then be investigated to identify high-risk situations and advance safety considerations in all hydrogen powered devices.