Validation and Recommendations for CFD and Engineering Modeling of Hydrogen Vented Explosions: Effects of Concentration, Stratification, Obstruction and Vent Area

Explosion venting is commonly used in the process industry as a prevention solution to protect equipment or buildings against excessive internal pressure caused by an explosion. This article is dedicated to the validation of FLACS CFD code for the modelling of vented explosions. Analytical engineering models fail when complex cases are considered, for instance in the presence of obstacles or H2 stratified mixtures. CFD is an alternative solution but has to be carefully validated. In this study, FLACS simulations are compared to published experimental results and recommendations are suggested for their application.