Effect of angular motion on accidental hydrogen fires in conceptional ship fuel preparation room with mechanical ventilation

Abstract

This paper presents a numerical analysis of the effects of angular motion on fire caused by an accidental hydrogen leak in a mechanically ventilated conceptual ship fuel preparation room. Three rotational motions (roll, pitch, and yaw) were applied with periods and amplitudes ranging from 8 s to 2°–10°, respectively. A distinctive feature of this study is the model construction of a hydrogen ship fuel preparation room with a ventilation system, considering the impact of ship motion on the combustion process of a hydrogen fire. The results indicate that the maximum ventilation flow rate varies by 10% depending on the amplitude of ship motion. However, the effect of ship motion on the range of radiated heat produced by a hydrogen fire is small. Regardless of the ship motion conditions, the maximum radiated heat of hydrogen storage tanks and pipelines is 62.24 kW/m2 and 20,110 kW/m2, respectively, which could cause significant damage to major equipment due to the fire. Consequently, to minimize the damage caused by hydrogen leakage, it is necessary to install additional sensors near major equipment and adjust the number of ventilations to quickly discharge the equipment before a fire occurs.