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The distribution of concentrations of hydrogen leaking into the front compartment and the dispersion after the leak was stopped were investigated to obtain basic data for specifying the mounting positions of hydrogen leak detecting sensors and the threshold values of alarms for compressed hydrogen vehicles. Ignition tests were also conducted to investigate the flammability and the environmental impact (i.e. the impact on human bodies). These tests were also conducted with methane to evaluate the protection against hydrogen leaks in vehicles in comparison with natural gas (methane). We found that the concentration of hydrogen in the front compartment reached 23.7 vol% maximum when hydrogen gas was allowed to leak for 600 sec from the center of the bottom of the wheelbase at a rate of 131 NL/min, which is the allowable limit for a fuel leak at the time of collision of compressed hydrogen vehicles in Japan.

To determine the appropriateness of specifying the allowable amount of hydrogen leakage upon collision based on the amount of leakage with generated heat equivalent to that of gasoline vehicles and CNG vehicles, we investigated the safety of each type of fuel when flame ignites. Our results confirm that the flame lengths for hydrogen and methane are almost equal, and there is no remarkable difference between them in terms of the distance for assuring safety. Furthermore, we confirmed that the irradiant heat flux from the mixed burning of hydrogen flame with liquid flammable materials is almost equal to that of the spray flame of gasoline. Thus, no clear difference was found between various types of fuel. Therefore, it is appropriate to specify the allowable amount of hydrogen leakage based on the amount of leakage with generated heat equivalent to that of other types of fuel.