Experimental study on hydrogen explosion venting and flame arresting under different metal copper foam structures

Wang Tao; Jiang Wentao; Sheng Yuhuai; Zhou Shangyong; Meng Fanyi; Luo Zhenmin

doi:10.1016/j.cjche.2025.09.022

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Experimental study on hydrogen explosion venting and flame arresting under different metal copper foam structures

Updated：2026-05-14

- Experimental study on hydrogen explosion venting and flame arresting under different metal copper foam structures
- Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering Vol. 90, Issue 2, Pages: 106-120(2026)
- Affiliations：
  
  School of Safety Science and Engineering, Xi'an University of Science and Technology, Xi'an 710054, China
  Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Coal Fire, Xi'an 710054, China
  Shaanxi Engineering Research Center for Industrial Process Safety & Emergency Rescue, Xi'an 710054, China
  Xi'an Key Laboratory of Urban Public Safety and Fire Rescue, Xi'an 710054, China
- Author bio：
  
  Corresponding authors. E-mail addresses: christfer@xust.edu.cn (T. Wang)
  s18536226201@163.com(Y. Sheng).
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1016/j.cjche.2025.09.022
  CLC：
- Received：11 August 2025，
  
  Revised：2025-09-15，
  
  Accepted：16 September 2025，
  
  Online First：30 October 2025，
  
  Published：2026-02
- Accepted：
Scan QR Code
Wang Tao, Jiang Wentao, Sheng Yuhuai, et al. Experimental study on hydrogen explosion venting and flame arresting under different metal copper foam structures[J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2026, 90(2): 106-120.
DOI：

Wang Tao, Jiang Wentao, Sheng Yuhuai, et al. Experimental study on hydrogen explosion venting and flame arresting under different metal copper foam structures[J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2026, 90(2): 106-120. DOI： 10.1016/j.cjche.2025.09.022.

摘要

Abstract

The safe transportation of hydrogen is significantly challenged by its inherent flammability and explosivity. Mitigating explosion risks in hydrogen pipelines constitutes the primary objective of this work. Utilizing an experimental platform for explosion venting and flame-arresting

hydrogen explosion experiments were conducted to examine the influence of venting pressure

pores per inch (PPI)

porosity

and copper foam thickness on peak explosion pressure and flame-arresting performance within a pipeline. Fluent numerical simulations were employed to validate structural differences in flame-arresting materials

and the flame-arresting mechanism was analyzed in conjunction with flow field characteristics. The results indicate that as the venting pressure increases

the amount of unburned gas entering the pipeline from the container decreases

causing the secondary pressure peak to disappear and reducing the difficulty of flame arresting. The failure mechanism of 20 mm thick copper foam flame-arresting is divided into two types: the heat removal rate of the flame-arresting material and the collision consumption of active free radicals are insufficient to force the flame to quench (20 PPI

=96%) and the copper foam is damaged by the pressure wave in the pipeline

resulting in its loss of flame-arresting (60PPI

=96%). On the premise that the flame-arresting is successful

the larger the PPI

porosity

and thickness

the larger the inner cavity of the copper foam

which will enhance the pressure hindering and absorption effect

which will help the pipeline flame-arresting. This research elucidates the flame-a

rresting mechanism under pressure wave flame coupling

providing a foundational theory for the explosion venting design of industrial hydrogen storage containers.

关键词

Keywords

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