HYKA

At the hydrogen test center HYKA of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) there are several safety vessels and test tubes for hydrogen combustion experiments in various scales and a large test chamber for hydrogen distribution and in particular combustion experiments. In particular: Hydrogen Test Chamber (PZ); Safety-Vessels A1, A2, A3, A8; Explosion tubes. The experimental facilities constituting the hydrogen test site HYKA are among the largest available in Europe. In combination with the high static and dynamic pressures the experimental facilities are designed for a unique experimental center especially for combustion experiments in confined spaces is available with HYKA. Inside the 160 m3 test chamber (KIT-PZ), for example, it is possible to test automotive hydrogen engines, and space is sufficient for even a complete hydrogen powered passenger car. Furthermore, the powerful venting system allows creating airflows around samples comparable to a wind tunnel or even with a more complex flow structure.

Objectives

• Closing knowledge gaps in particular for the mixing, transient combustion phenomena and fires of H2, LH2 and multiphase combustible mixture in order to improve risk assessment and mitigation strategies and associated technologies
• Providing validation data for the further development of advanced combustions models suitable for industry relevant scales
• Development of new test procedures, identifying safety relevant properties of components and systems
• Evaluation of safety performance of components and systems, with a focus on electrolyzer and storage systems
• development of simulation tools for hydrogen risk assessment, ranging from robust engineering correlations and criteria to specialized CFD codes with high predictive capabilities, like the KIT codes GASFLOW-MPI and COM3D