Study on the extension length of horizontal hydrogen jet fires under the action of water curtain

Hydrogen is a clean fuel, however, the potential leakage and jet fire accidents should be considered seriously. This study focuses on the burning behaviors of horizontal hydrogen jet fires under the action of a water curtain system. The experiments of horizontal hydrogen jet fires with fuel flow rate ranging from 30 to 80 L/min and initial pressure of water curtain ranging from 2 to 4 MPa were conducted. The experimental results show that the shape of the hydrogen jet flame expanded on the water curtain is elliptical at different conditions. The extension area and extension length of jet fire at the water curtain increase with increasing fuel flow rate. The extension area and length decrease with the separation distance and the initial pressure of the water curtain, however, show different variation tendencies with fuel flow rate. A new dimensionless heat release rate is proposed to estimate the flame extension length by accounting for the effects of the initial pressure of water curtain and the separation distance between the jet nozzle and water curtain, which is useful for fire prevention design in the hydrogen storage area.