This paper summarises the results from a blind-prediction benchmark study for models used for estimating the consequences of vented hydrogen deflagrations, as well as for users of such models. The work was part of the HySEA project that received funding from the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU) under grant agreement no. 671461. The first blind-prediction benchmark exercise in the HySEA project focused on vented explosions with homogeneous hydrogen-air mixtures in 20-foot ISO containers. The scenarios selected for the second blind-prediction study focused on vented deflagrations in inhomogeneous hydrogen-air mixtures resulting from continuous stratification of hydrogen during vertical jet releases inside 20-foot ISO containers. The deflagrations were vented through commercial vent panels located on the roof of the containers. The test program included two configurations and four experiments, i.e. two repeated tests for each scenario. The paper compares experimental results and model predictions and discusses the implications of the findings for safety related to hydrogen applications. Several modellers predicted the stratification of hydrogen inside the container during the release phase with reasonable accuracy. However, there is significant spread in the model predictions, especially for the maximum reduced explosion pressure, and including predictions from different modellers using the same model system. The results from the blind-prediction benchmark studies performed as part of the HySEA project constitute a strong incentive for developers of consequence models to improve their models, implement automated procedures for scenario definition and grid generation, and update training and guidelines for users of the models.

Correct use of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tools is essential in order to have confidence in the results. A comprehensive set of Best Practice Guidelines (BPG) in numerical simulations for Fuel Cells and Hydrogen applications has been one of the main outputs of the SUSANA project. These BPG focus on the practical needs of engineers in consultancies and industry undertaking CFD simulations or evaluating CFD simulation results in support of hazard/risk assessments of hydrogen facilities, as well as on the needs of regulatory authorities. This contribution presents a summary of the BPG document. All crucial aspects of numerical simulations are addressed, such as selection of the physical models, domain design, meshing, boundary conditions and selection of numerical parameters. BPG cover all hydrogen safety relative phenomena, i.e. release and dispersion, ignition, jet fire, deflagration and detonation. A series of CFD benchmarking exercises are also presented serving as examples of appropriate modelling strategies.

Deflagration to detonation transition (DDT) is a quite challenging subject in computational fluid dynamics both from a standpoint of the phenomenon nature understanding and from extremely demanding computational efforts. In the article the hybrid DDT combustion model is introduced as an efficient method to simulate the DDT problems. As verification, two DDT experiments made in experimental facility MINI RUT are used.

The “SUpport to SAfety aNAlysis of Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies (SUSANA)” project aims to support stakeholders using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) for safety engineering design and assessment of FCH systems and infrastructure through the development of a model evaluation protocol. The protocol covers all aspects of safety assessment modelling using CFD, from release, through dispersion to combustion (self-ignition, fires, deflagrations, detonations, and Deflagration to Detonation Transition - DDT) and not only aims to enable users to evaluate models but to inform them of the state of the art and best practices in numerical modelling. The paper gives an overview of the SUSANA project, including the main stages of the model evaluation protocol and some results from the on-going benchmarking activities.

Deflagration to detonation transition (DDT) is a challenging subject in computational fluid dynamics both from a standpoint of the phenomenon nature understanding and from extremely demanding computational efforts. In recent years, as the development of computer technology and improvement of numerical schemes was achieved, some more direct methods have been found to reproduce the DDT mechanistically without additional numerical or physical models. In the current work, highly resolved DDT simulations of hydrogen-air and of hydrogen-oxygen mixtures in 2D channel with regular repeating obstacles are present. The technique of local mesh refinement (ALMR) is implemented in the simulations to minimize the computational efforts. The criteria for the ALMR are examined and optimized in simulations.

After the implementation of local mesh refinement (LMR) in solution of Euler equations and detonation simulation, the technique has been used to optimize the simulation of viscid flow. In this paper, LMR has been implemented in Navier-Stokes (NS) equations and LES turbulent model. In order to implement LMR in the simulation of viscid flow accurately and efficiently, hybrid interpolation and coarse flux limiter are established. At the same time, implementation of LMR maintains the temporal refinement in solution of NS equations. In practical application, 2D advection diffusion is used to show the advantages of LMR and verify the implementation.

In order to balance the resolution and the total computational effort in turbulent combustion CFD code COM3D, a block structured local mesh refinement has been introduced. In the presented work, special attention has been given to the implementation of local mesh refinement for the alternative directions based method and time-operator splitting approach. An application of the implemented technique for the detonation simulations is examined and discussed.