[2D2] Conventional accelerometers in detecting leakage of compressed gas
K Karioja and J Ahola
University of Oulu, Finland
Gas leaks in pressure vessels and pipelines can be a significant safety risk and cause economic losses as well. In the near future, hydrogen systems are expected to become more common, when hydrogen-based e-fuels substitute fossil fuels and hydrogen is used as an energy carrier on a large scale. Hydrogen can be a difficult substance to detect using conventional gas detectors in environments where the very light gas can freely float away, thus easily escaping the detector. This paper presents experiments on acoustic emission and vibration measurements for detecting a crack that is forming and leaking gas. The experiments were performed in laboratory scale set-ups where failures are mimicked by rupture discs and check valves. The set-up allows both semi-batch (vessel) and continuous flow (pipeline) experiments to be carried out in pressures of up to 60 bar with hydrogen and non-flammable gases. The aim of the study was to gain an insight into the use of commonly available hardware for condition monitoring for detecting failures in pressurised pipelines and pressure vessels at an affordable price point.
