Hydrogen drainage
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The facility has many hydrogen drainage points, some of which discharge continuously while others do so intermittently. In all cases, the discharge is done through valves, and it seems unsafe. I would like to ask if anyone has any good suggestions?
Safety or insecurity is relative; intermittent discharge does not guarantee 100% safety, and continuous discharge with a water seal is not necessarily safe either. It’s a matter of perspective – different people have different opinions.
We added oil cut-off devices temporarily to the hydrogen pipeline; there was no place to send it, so it was collected in a bucket on site. Initially, the flow was directed to the flare separator tank, but later it was determined that the seal oil in the gas holder was affected, so the oil was discharged on-site again. Eventually, heating was installed.
In an open and well-ventilated workshop, the risk is lower; in a poorly ventilated area, problems are more likely to occur； If possible, it is recommended to add a separation tank of your own to vent the hydrogen or reuse it.
Install a flow rate control valve; as long as the flow rate of hydrogen is properly controlled, we won’t have any problems. The key issue is the flow rate.
Ours are all indirectly discharged; there have been no problems for over a decade
It’s not a problem with the hydrogen flow rate; it’s a question of how to safely discharge the hydrogen condensate.
If drainage is carried out at atmospheric pressure or slightly positive pressure, adding an appropriate water seal will suffice; as long as the surrounding conditions permit, drainage can be done regularly. If discharged at low pressure (less than 1.0 Mpa), and if the conditions at the drainage point permit, it can be discharged manually in intervals. If discharge occurs at medium to high pressures (≥1.0 MPa), a discharge tank must be used; nitrogen is introduced into the tank, and the condensed water is first drained into it, with subsequent drainage taking place after pressure is relieved.
A water seal tank is introduced, and the on-duty staff discharge it at regular intervals.
Thank you all. The pressure is 0.1 M Pa; it seems there’s no need to install a water separation tank