Fire Research

1,000-foot-high flame produced in large natural gas pipeline test

SRI's Poulter Laboratory has performed fire and deflagration tests with natural gas and with hydrogen. A highlight of the natural gas experiments was executing what is believed to be the largest natural gas fire test ever conducted, as shown in the photograph. This test was conducted in a remote region of Canada using a 40-mile-long, 36-inch-diameter isolated section of pipeline pressurized to 1000 psi with natural gas.

At the mid-point of the pipeline, we used a specially designed explosive charge to cut open the top half of a short section of the pipleline, allowed the gas to flow out for several seconds, then ignited the gas. The flames shot more than 1,000 feet high. We made extensive pressure, temperature and radiation measurements as well as exposed many different materials to the radiation to detect possible ignition.

The increasing use of hydrogen as a fuel requires that the safety aspects of hydrogen be investigated. In Poulter Laboratory, we have conducted tests that simulate various accidental releases of hydrogen followed by deflagration or detonation of hydrogen/air mixtures. In all tests, we measure the characteristics of the deflagration/detonation as well as the potential hazard produced. The following configurations have been tested:

Effect of Wall on Mitigating Hydrogen Deflagration

Hydrogen Tube Photo 1

Hydrogen Tube Photo 2

Hydrogen Tube Photo 3

• A combusting jet produced by the release and ignition of hydrogen from a nozzle that simulates a leak from a high pressure tank. Temperature and radiation were measured.

15-ft-long free hydrogen jet 

• A combusting jet impinging on a CMA protective wall

Reference

1. D. R. Curran, J. K. Gran, and J. D. Colton, Guidelines for Performing Scale Model Experiments, Presented at the 2nd International Workshop on Similarity Methods, University of Stuttgart, Germany, 25-26 November 1999.
    
2. A Full Scale Experimental Study of Fires Following the Rupture of Natural Gas Transmission Pipelines
   
   Michael R. Acton, Geoff Hankinson BG Technology Ltd., Gas Research & Technology Centre, Ashby Road, Loughborough, LE11 3GR, United Kingdom
   
   Blaine Ashworth TransCanada PipeLines, 801 7th Avenue S. W., P.O. Box 2535, Station M, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2P 3P7
   
   Jim Colton, Mohsen Sanai SRI International, 333 Ravenswood Avenue, Menlo Park, California 94025-3493, U.S.A.