DESIGN FEATURES AND HAZARDS OF HYDROGEN FUEL CELL CARS

Abstract

Introduction. The gradual and relentless development of alternative energy sources and the constant strug-gle of humanity with excess greenhouse gas emissions led to the simultaneous development of vehicles with alternative energy sources. Currently, vehicles that run exclusively on electricity and are virtually safe for the environment are becoming increasingly popular. Among the variety of vehicles running on electricity, it is necessary to single out vehicles that use compressed hydrogen to generate electricity. Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (HFCV) are already widely used in the United States, Germany, Japan, and the rest of the world, and their governments are constantly expanding and developing the appropriate infrastructure for them.The purpose and objectives of the study. The paper analyses the basic structure of HFCV and identifies the main scenarios of possible emergencies, namely: fire or explosion of fuel tanks with hydrogen; leakage, flaming of hydrogen from fuel lines (tank) under the high pressure; high-pressure hydrogen jet fire; leakage of hydrogen in the compartment (garage, closed parking) without further combustion.Methods. In the work on the subsequent literature review, the probable dangers for the personnel of the emergency rescue units involved in the elimination of certain emergency scenarios were identified.Results. It is established that: during the combustion of HFCV the most probable jet fire of hydrogen (flame temperature can reach 2000 0C), and also possible explosion of hydrogen cylinders or gas-air mixture with a significant range. Secondly, leakage of hydrogen in the compartment can cause its destruction in a relatively short period (about 15 seconds), and/or poisoning (asphyxia) of people due to a sharp decrease in oxygen concentration.Conclusions. The analysis and generalization of existing knowledge on the potential hazard of HFCV is conducted, electric cars give us reasonable grounds to argue that the regulatory framework for the construction and installation of security systems for land and underground parking, places of accumulation of such vehicles is not adapted to today s realities. At the same time, the following studies should be directed at estimating probablee risks of such emergencies.