Research on protection methods for 70 MPa on-board Type IV hydrogen storage cylinders under localized fire conditions

When hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (HFCVs) occur fires, the localized fire protection methods for on-board hydrogen storage cylinders can reduce the failure possibility of cylinders. This paper describes an experimental study of 70 MPa Type IV on-board hydrogen storage cylinders exposed to localized and engulfing fires. A three-dimensional (3D) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model is developed to simulate the effects of various protection methods on the heat transfer characteristics of cylinders. The results demonstrate that both fireprotection coatings and fire-protection baffles effectively reduce the maximum temperature of cylinder surfaces and enhance the fire resistance of cylinders under localized fire conditions. Specifically, using a 2 mm thick fire-protection coating and a circular fireprotection baffle with a width equal to 100% of the cylinder diameter proves to be more suitable protection methods. These measures significantly decrease the risk of explosion and leakage in Type IV hydrogen storage cylinders during localized fire conditions. (c) 2023 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.