Explosion risks during the confined storage of bituminous coals. Calculation of gaseous hydrogen accumulation in ship holds

S. L. Grossman, S. Davidi, Haim Cohen

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

16 Scopus citations

Abstract

Bituminous coal piles stored in the open air can undergo autocatalytic heating accompanied by the emission of small but appreciable amounts of molecular hydrogen. When the coal is contained in a confined space and the temperature reaches 40°C, accumulation of hydrogen is expected. This process has been observed for a wide variety of bituminous coals. The amount of hydrogen gas expected to accumulate in the air pocket above the coal cargo in ship holds (assuming that the coal's temperature approaches 40°C during the voyage) has been calculated. The results clearly indicate that in most cases the hydrogen concentration will be appreciably above the lower explosion limit in air. Hence when bituminous coals are stored in a confined space (e.g. a ship hold), the explosive risk of hydrogen should be taken into account.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1772-1775
Number of pages4
JournalFuel
Volume74
Issue number12
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jan 1995

Keywords

  • coal
  • explosion hazard
  • storage

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Chemical Engineering
  • Fuel Technology
  • Energy Engineering and Power Technology
  • Organic Chemistry

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