In case of a severe accident in light water reactors (LWR) a high amount of
hydrogen, up to about 20 000 m(n)(3), might be generated and released into
the containment. The mixture, consisting of hydrogen and oxygen, may eithe
r burn or detonate, if ignited. In case of detonation the generated shock w
ave may endanger the integrity of the containment or safety-related systems
. Consequently, an effective removal of hydrogen is required. Hydrogen and
oxygen react exothermally at catalytically acting surfaces, already at room
temperature, and this is used in catalytic recombiners. It is recommended
to combine recombiners with spark or catalytic igniters, in order to cover
a broader spectrum of accident sequences. In this contribution, state of th
e art of hydrogen removal devices are reviewed and the possibilities for in
novative methods, making use of the phenomena arising in the containments,
using further components will be illustrated accordingly. (C) 2000 Elsevier
Science S.A. All rights reserved.