Hydrogen Station Dispenser Partitioning for Fire Containment
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge is to provide effective disaster prevention equipment for hydrogen stations that reduces the required safe distance from roads and boundaries, alleviates construction restrictions, and minimizes cost, while protecting against hydrogen leaks, fires, and nearby accidents.
Innovation Solution
The equipment includes a partition unit that encloses the dispenser area, a first fire extinguishing unit for internal fires, a cooling unit for the partition, and a second fire extinguishing unit for external fires, along with an upward spraying unit to dilute hydrogen leaks, all integrated to contain and suppress incidents efficiently.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the safe distance from public road and site boundary is increased to 8m, then the safety of nearby facilities is improved, but the construction site area and cost are increased
Solution Approach 1:
The disaster prevention system is segmented into multiple functional units: partition unit for spatial isolation, first fire extinguishing unit for internal fire suppression, cooling unit for thermal management of the partition, and second fire extinguishing unit for external fire protection. This segmentation allows each unit to operate independently and efficiently, reducing the overall safety distance required while maintaining high safety standards.
Solution Approach 2:
The partition unit acts as an intermediary barrier between the hydrogen station equipment and the surrounding environment. It physically separates the protected area from adjacent spaces, providing fire resistance and thermal insulation. This intermediary structure enables reduced safety distances by containing potential hazards within the partitioned area while protecting nearby facilities.
2Reliability
If comprehensive disaster prevention equipment is installed to protect against multiple types of incidents, then the safety coverage is improved, but the device complexity and cost are increased
Solution Approach 1:
The disaster prevention equipment is designed with multi-functional units that can handle multiple types of incidents. The partition unit provides both fire containment and spatial isolation functions. The fire extinguishing units can suppress both internal and external fires. The cooling unit manages thermal effects from various heat sources including fires and hydrogen leaks. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate specialized equipment for each hazard type, simplifying the overall system while maintaining comprehensive safety coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple disaster prevention functions are merged into an integrated system. The partition unit, fire extinguishing units, and cooling unit work together as a coordinated system rather than separate independent systems. This merging reduces device complexity by eliminating redundant components and control mechanisms while providing comprehensive protection against hydrogen leaks, fires, and thermal effects through unified operation.
3Duration of action of moving object
If the hydrogen storage pressure is increased to 82 MPa to extend driving distance, then the vehicle cruising range is improved, but the risk of accidents and required safety distance are increased
Solution Approach 1:
The partition unit is designed with fire-resistant and thermally insulating properties to provide beforehand cushioning against potential accidents involving high-pressure hydrogen storage. This pre-established protective barrier is ready to contain and mitigate the effects of hydrogen leaks or fires before they can affect surrounding facilities, enabling the use of higher storage pressures for extended cruising range while maintaining safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The system converts the potential harm of high-pressure hydrogen accidents into a controlled containment scenario. The partition unit and fire extinguishing units are designed to capture and manage the energy released in case of accidents, transforming what would be uncontrolled hazardous events into manageable incidents confined within the partitioned area, thus enabling higher storage pressures for extended range.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration effectively contains internal incidents, suppresses fire spread, reduces the need for extensive safety distances, and lowers construction costs by providing comprehensive protection against hydrogen leaks and external fires, enhancing safety and operational feasibility.
Implementation Method 1
a cooling unit for spraying cooling water onto the partition
Implementation Method 2
a first fire extinguishing unit for spraying fire extinguishing water inside the partitioned area and a second fire extinguishing unit for spraying fire extinguishing water outside the partitioned area
Data Source
AI summary
A hydrogen station is equipped with a dispenser that supplies hydrogen to a vehicle. A sheet unfolding device is arranged on the upper peripheral edge of the section to be protected that includes a dispenser installation area, for example, on the peripheral edge of a roof covering the dispenser, and holds a partition sheet wound in a roll shape. When a fire occurs due to hydrogen leakage, the partition sheet is unfolded by releasing the holding and dropping, the area around the section to be protected that includes the dispenser installation area is partitioned, the release of flame and heat from the fire to the outside is suppressed, a fire extinguishing agent is sprayed from a fire extinguishing head installed on the roof side, and a cooling agent is sprayed from a coolant spraying head to the sheet surface to enhance the flame-shielding property and heat-shielding property.