Regarding the issue of hydrogen emissions
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The mass ratio of hydrogen to water vapor is 1:10. If both hydrogen and water vapor are released into the atmosphere through a 5-m long vent pipe at the same time, could it be dangerous?
What kind of operating conditions are you in, OP? Can’t the hydrogen be vented to a flare?
It will still explode even if there’s a source of fire, right? 10% concentration is quite high; if it’s released into the atmosphere, and there are thunderstorms as well, it’s a bit scary
Without torches, the plant produces hydrogen only through the cracking process.
Can a flame arrester be added to the vent pipe?
It’s very dangerous; if there is high pressure or a fast rate of emission, friction with the air can cause a fire
It is still dangerous during thunderstorms; in our facility, the exhaust gases are released into the air. The explosive range for hydrogen is 4.1% to 74.2% (in terms of volume concentration). An increase in the proportion of water vapor makes things worse, so it’s better to use nitrogen instead. A flame arrester should be installed at the outlet.
How much hydrogen is there? Is it being emitted at high levels? Will it accumulate after being released? The amount is small, it is released at high points so no accumulation occurs, and after mixing with steam, there are basically no problems.
If continuous emission is a problem and it does not meet fire safety regulations, then if emissions are only intermittent and there is no flare system available for the entire plant, this approach can be used
Normally, there are no problems, but the impact that thunderstorm seasons might have needs to be taken into account. Fire suppression measures for cases where hydrogen catches fire need to be considered in the emission system.