Development of Hydrogen Sensors and Recombiners-Paper

Hydrogen energy is very promising, as it ensures a high efficiency and ecological cleanliness ofenergy conversion. The goal of the present work is to provide the analysis of hydrogen safety aspectsand to prescribe methods of safety operation with hydrogen. The authors conducted a hazard analysisof hydrogen operation and storage in comparison with other fuels. Good ventilation is the mainhydrogen operation requirement. Besides, an effective way of protection against propagation ofhazards (for instance, leaks) is neutralization of dangerous hydrogen-air mixtures by a method ofcontrolled catalytic combustion inside special devices, so-called recombiners [1-3]. The basis of thesedevices is a high porosity cell material (HPCM), activated by platinum deposition. Apart fromrecombiners, HPCM was also applied for development of hydrogen detectors intended formeasurement and analysis of hydrogen concentration for hydrogen-driven transport and objects ofhydrogen infrastructure (including vapor-air media at high pressure and temperatures). A system ofhydrogen safety based on hydrogen detectors and hydrogen catalytic recombiners was developed.Experimental and theoretical studies of hydrogen combustion processes, heat- and mass transfer, andalso gas flows in catalytic-activated HPCM, allowed for a design optimization of recombiners andtheir location. Pilot hydrogen detectors and hydrogen catalytic recombiners were fabricated and theirlaboratory tests were successfully performed. Thus, it was indicated that on condition of following theappropriate passive and active safety measures, hydrogen is just as safe as the other fuels. Thisconclusion represents another incentive for a transition to the hydrogen energy.