Anti-freezing insulation for hydrogen pipelines
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This post was last edited by sunjl1981 on 2013-1-6 at 20:22. What is the best method for preventing freezing and maintaining heat in hydrogen pipelines? Hydrogen pipelines and valves tend to freeze in winter; we use steam on the valves, but water drips onto the floor, causing it to freeze over. It’s difficult to deal with such frozen conditions. What kind of heating or insulation methods work well? Do anyone have any good suggestions? # hcbbs
Just control the temperature of the cooling wash to be slightly higher
The temperature of the hydrogen scrubber is controlled at 20–30 degrees, but it still doesn’t work; when the temperature rises, more water is carried along, which leads to even more freezing!
What about electric heating? I’m not sure if the specifications allow it
1# After rain, add drainage at the lowest point; use pipes with a larger diameter for steam tracing lines.
Use steam for heating; if this is not sufficient, the number of heating tubes can be increased, with them being arranged in a circumferential pattern near the valves to facilitate their replacement. In areas with lower temperatures, the hydrogen drain pipes also need to be insulated, and the frequency of drainage must be increased. If possible, keep the drain valve slightly open.
Steam tracing will do; install some small pipes along the hydrogen pipelines to supply steam, then cover them with rock wool. The steam condensate can be directed into the drainage ditch, and it’s also fine to keep the drain valve slightly open when the temperature is low
The plan is also to use steam for heating, but there is one issue: if a hydrogen pipeline leaks, it’s not easy to detect. How can this be addressed?
Steam is used for heat tracing, with 10mm thick rock wool tubes wrapped around it; a steam pipe with a diameter of DN25 is sufficient. At the same time, the outlet temperature of the hydrogen cooler must be strictly controlled between 3 and 5 degrees Celsius – this temperature limit must not be exceeded, as higher temperatures can cause the pipes to freeze. The hydrogen pipelines are carefully inspected, pressurized, and tested for leaks before operation, and leaks generally do not occur.
It is best to make use of waste heat, such as steam condensate, etc.; specific measures can be determined based on the actual conditions of one’s own factory, adapting to local circumstances. These days, everyone is talking about a low-carbon economy, right?
Yeah! If there is a hydrogen leak and the pipes and flanges are insulated, hydrogen does not spread easily