Hydrogen combustion in aqueous foams

Water fogs are recognized as an effective means to mitigate the effects of large-scale hydrogen combustion that might accompany some loss-of-coolant nuclear reactor accidents. Fogs of sufficiently high density to produce large beneficial effects may, however, be difficult to generate and maintain. An alternate method of suspending the desired mass of water is via high expansion-ratio aqueous foams. To help assess the usefulness of aqueous foams in a mitigation plan, several open tube tests and over one hundred closed vessel tests of hydrogen/air combustion with and without foam have been conducted. Above 15% hydrogen concentration, the foam causes a significant reduction in the pressure rise. The maximum effect occurs at about 28% hydrogen (the stoichiometric limit is 29.6% hydrogen) where the peak overpressure is reduced by two and one-half. Despite this overall pressure reduction, the flame speed is increased by up to an order of magnitude for combustion in the foam and strong pressure fluctuations are observed near a hydrogen concentration of 23%