Safety and Health at Work

Safety and Health at Work

Volume 12, Issue 3, September 2021, Pages 416-420
Safety and Health at Work

Short Communication
Specific Process Conditions for Non-Hazardous Classification of Hydrogen Handling Facilities

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shaw.2021.05.004Get rights and content
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Abstract

Hazardous area classification design is required to reduce the explosion risk in process plants. Among the international design guidelines, only IEC 60079-10-1 proposes a new type of zone, namely zone 2 NE, to prevent explosion hazards. We studied how to meet the zone 2 NE grade for a facility handling hydrogen gas, which is considered as most dangerous among explosive gases. Zone 2 NE can be achieved considering the grade of release, as well as the availability and effectiveness of ventilation, which are factors indicative of the facility condition and its surroundings. In the present study, we demonstrate that zone 2 NE can be achieved when the degree of ventilation is high by accessing temperature, pressure, and size of leak hole. The release characteristic can be derived by substituting the process condition of the hydrogen gas facility. The equations are summarized considering relation of the operating temperature, operating pressure, and size of leak hole. Through this relationship, the non-hazardous condition can be realized from the perspective of inherent safety by the combination of each parameter before the initial design of the hydrogen gas facility.

Keywords

Explosion
Hazardous area
Hydrogen gas leakage
Hydrogen safety
IEC60079-10-1

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