The Hydrogen laboratory has been carried out with the experience accumulated in developing technologies against hydrogen explosion, to make the nuclear plants safe according to the defence in depth. The same or similar technologies can also assure higher safety in management of methane networks, chemical factories, stores of inflammables or substances that can produce flammable gases and aerosols.
OBJECTIVES
- To safeguard nuclear plants against hydrogen explosion during severe accidents;
- To point out and solve the safety problems relative to the use of hydrogen as an energy carrier;
- To manage gaseous fuels in safety.
TESTS AND EXPERIMENTAL FACILITIES
- Hydrogen mixing with gases and vapours in a 100 m3 closed containment (PSICO 10 apparatus);
- Deflagrations of flammable mixtures of gaseous fuels with air and steam in a 0.5 m3 closed containment to evaluate flammability limits and igniter reliability;
- Deflagrations of flammable gas mixtures in partially confined environments, in small and large scale, to evaluate the mitigation power of venting systems;
- Deflagrations in a special 1.5 m3 multi-compartment containment (LargeView apparatus) with glass walls, to visualise the flame propagation and to study jet-ignition and the increase in the burning rate due to the interaction between deflagrations in adjacent and communicating compartments.
UTILIZATION OF EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS
- To evaluate the overpressure due to deflagration or detonation, with original or expressly modified commercial computer codes;
- To design venting systems for mitigating the deflagration overpressure in confined environments;
- To design thermal and passive catalytic igniters and recombiners for reducing the concentration of gaseous fuels and then the risk of dangerous explosions;
- To determine, with original computer codes, inerting and recombining systems to be installed in large containments of complex geometry.

Contact person
Prof. F. Fineschi E-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it