How to handle a fire caused by an electrolyzer (hydrogen leak)?
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This post was last edited by sunjl1981 on 2013-1-6 21:50. How to handle a fire caused by an electrolyzer (hydrogen leakage)? # hcbbs
Alkali leakage between unit cells and at the cathode inlet and outlet caused flames to appear at the cathode hoses. Relevant personnel were immediately notified; the DCS controller had to keep the entire cathode system under positive pressure. On-site staff put on protective gear and used dry powder fire extinguishers as well as pure water to put out the flames. Once the fire was extinguished, the DCS controller was informed to shut down that cell following the standard shutdown procedures, isolate it from the rest of the system, and inform the relevant personnel to handle the situation
As a supplementary note: The current can be reduced appropriately, but it is necessary to maintain a positive pressure in the hydrogen system to prevent backfire, and then use a fire extinguisher to put out the fire. Additionally, if the pipeline is equipped with a nitrogen inlet, nitrogen can be directly used to extinguish the fire.
It is generally best to use a nitrogen valve that pressurizes the gas system when driving alone, as this pressure is relatively high
Sometimes, when a battery cell catches fire, several methods must be used simultaneously to extinguish the fire; otherwise, it will reignite once the flames are put out. We have encountered a situation where there was leakage from the electrolytic cell accompanied by sparking, and abnormal fire extinguishing methods had to be used to put out the fire. First, rinse the leak site with pure water to eliminate the source of ignition, and use a fire extinguisher to put out the fire. Once the fire is out, the watering must continue; otherwise, the fire will reignite. Normal shutdown procedures should also be followed. Although this approach is non-compliant, it is effective.
The last edit to this post was made by Yinozhang on 2010-1-1 at 18:25. I have only seen an electrolysis unit catch fire once, and it was the cable that caught fire. The responders first used dry powder extinguishers to put out the fire, but it started burning again; afterwards, pure water was used to cool down the area and finally put out the fire
Using pure water when a cable is on fire – isn’t that unsafe?
If a fire breaks out in the electrolyzer tank, the operation must be stopped and the tank isolated; after stopping operations, nitrogen is used to displace the air inside. If the fire is not severe, it can be extinguished using a fire extinguisher
This post was last edited by Jude on 2010-1-4 at 20:57. The flames can be extinguished by directing nitrogen directly at them; meanwhile, the vehicle should be stopped and filled with nitrogen. It is essential to maintain a positive pressure at the cathode during this process – we have done this once before.
We had it once on the hydrogen pipeline of Hydrogen Treatment 1, caused by welding