Hydrogen is a critical component of a carbon-free modern economy, offering clean and versatile applications across transportation, industry, and power generation. However, its high flammability and potential for explosions necessitate rigorous safety management, including predictive modelling, robust infrastructure design, and comprehensive safety protocols. One of the most challenging events is the catastrophic rupture of compressed gaseous hydrogen (CGH2) tanks, which can result in a combination of blast waves, fireballs, and flying debris. While blast waves and fireballs have been extensively studied with notable contributions from Ulster University in developing predictive correlations, experimental data for large hydrogen inventories remain limited, leading to significant uncertainties when extrapolating these correlations. The unique properties of hydrogen, such as high mass diffusivity, large variation in Lewis number, high laminar flame velocity, and small detonation cell size, require careful consideration when scaling up experiments. To address these gaps, SID-EPN and CEA have conducted large-scale experiments on the catastrophic rupture of Type IV CGH2 tanks, assessing the validity of existing correlations for extensive ranges of hydrogen quantities. This article reviews these correlations, compiles recent experimental results from open literature, and presents new experimental results to support the use of these correlations for larger hydrogen inventories.
Studer et al. (Thu,) studied this question.