Title: Leakage and dispersion characteristics of hydrogen from hydrogen storage system of fuel cell truck

Authors: Shu Liu; Ren He

Addresses: School of Traffic Engineering, Nanjing Vocational University of Industry Technology, Nanjing, 210023, China ' School of Automotive and Traffic Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, China

Abstract: The hydrogen storage system of the fuel cell truck (FCT) is arranged in a semi-confined cabin. The hydrogen disperses quickly and accumulates during a leak, raising safety concerns. Studies on the hydrogen leakage and diffusion behaviours are important to ensure hydrogen safety. The analyses on the influence of leak rate, leak orifice location, ambient wind velocity and direction on the characteristics of hydrogen dispersion are conducted in this paper. The results indicate that the flammable region and hydrogen concentration at detecting points increase with leak rate. The leak path is significantly influenced by the obstacles. An extensive cloud of hydrogen easily accumulates on the top and bottom of the cabin when the leakage orifice faces the wall of the cabin. A more narrow profile of hydrogen cloud distributes and the hydrogen at the top of the cabin disperses effectively driven by the wind.

Keywords: FCT; fuel cell truck; high-pressure hydrogen cylinder; semi-confined enclosure; hydrogen leakage; dispersion; hydrogen safety; numerical simulation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJVD.2025.147510

International Journal of Vehicle Design, 2025 Vol.97 No.1, pp.74 - 90

Received: 13 Dec 2023
Accepted: 18 Feb 2025
Published online: 18 Jul 2025 *

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