Model Test on the Detonation of Hydrogen–Air Mixture Gas in a Closed Cylindrical Tube

Abstract Hydrogen is becoming one of the prospective energy resources, and there are high demands for transporting and storing hydrogen by ships. The safety of transporting hydrogen is one of the very important topics. However, experimental data on hydrogen explosion are still not enough. The purpose of the present study is to obtain experimental data of hydrogen–air mixture gas explosion as well as to investigate the mechanism of “detonation.” Especially, main focus is laid on the visualization of detonation phenomena of hydrogen–air mixture gas using the latest high-speed camera. In order to make a movie of detonation, a transparent cylindrical tube is adopted. Moreover, the structural response of a steel plate subjected to detonation pressure is also investigated. In the present study, a series of detonation experiments is carried out where hydrogen–air mixture gas is stored in a transparent acrylic cylindrical tube and ignited. A steel plate is set at one end of the cylindrical tube in order to investigate structural response due to hydrogen explosives. The shock wave front of detonation is captured using high-speed cameras. The results of the experiment including the form of the shock wave front are discussed in detail.