EXPERIMENTAL AND THEORETICAL INVESTIGATION OF LIQUID-HYDROGEN POOL SPREADING AND VAPORIZATION

The investigation of cryogenic pool spreading and vaporization as the initial step in an accident sequence with the spillage of liquefied hy drogen (LH2) is an essential part of a safety assessment to valuate th e risks of hydrogen. Experiments have been conducted to examine the tr ansient LH2 pool spreading behavior on a liquid (water) and solid (alu minum) ground. In a parallel effort, a computer model, LAuV, based on the shallow-layer differential equations has been developed to simulat e the pool spreading and vaporization of a spilled cryogen under vario us conditions taking account of concomitant phenomena such as ice form ation on the water surface. The objective of this paper is a descripti on of the LH2 pool spreading test results as well as the performance o f the LAuV calculation model. Furthermore a prediction of the conseque nces of the spill of a tanker truck load for different cryogens is giv en. The results represent pertinent information as source term for the subsequent analysis steps of dispersion and, in the case of ignition, combustion of the evolved gas cloud. (C) 1997 International Associati on for Hydrogen Energy.