Review of the Current Understanding of Hydrogen Jet Fires and the Potential Effect on PFP Performance

The fast-developing energy transition, with a target of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, will include a significant expansion in the use of hydrogen. The roles for hydrogen being considered include energy transportation and storage, land transport, maritime propulsion, domestic heating and ‘hard to de-carbonise’ industry. In gaseous form, due to its low density, hydrogen tends to be stored at high pressure, often measured in 100s of bar, though the pressure range will depend on the application.

As with hydrocarbon fuels, if an accidental release of pressurised hydrogen occurs, there is the potential for a jet fire. As the scale of hydrogen deployment grows, there will undoubtedly be the need to protect critical structures and equipment using PFP. It is therefore important to understand if the performance of current PFP materials in hydrogen jet fires will be comparable to that in a hydrocarbon jet fire.