CFD Modeling and Consequence Analysis of an Accidental Hydrogen Release in a Large Scale Facility

In this study, the consequences of an accidental release of hydrogen within large scale, (> 15,000 m3), facilities were modeled. To model the hydrogen release, an LES Navier-Stokes CFD solver, called fireFoam, was used to calculate the dispersion and mixing of hydrogen within a large scale facility. The performance of the CFD modeling technique was evaluated through a validation study using experimental results from a 1/6 scale hydrogen release from the literature and a grid sensitivity study. Using the model, a parametric study was performed varying release rates and enclosure sizes and examining the concentrations that develop. The hydrogen dispersion results were then used to calculate the corresponding pressure loads from hydrogen-air deflagrations in the facility.