×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Contact US

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Disposal/Conversion of Waste Hydrogen Gas

Disposal/Conversion of Waste Hydrogen Gas

Disposal/Conversion of Waste Hydrogen Gas

(OP)
Hi All,

I am constructing an electrolyzer test stand that is going to produce small amounts (< 1 kg/hr) of hydrogen gas.  Because of space requirements at my facility, this electrolyzer cannot be situated close enough to an appropriate vent or hood to release the gas into the atmosphere.  I have never had this problem before, so I am looking for suggestions on how to safely and inexpensively convert or burn this waste gas.

The hydrogen will be relatively pure, greater than 99% purity, and pressure will be ambient (~1 atm).  Flow will be relatively constant, however brief periods of turn down can be expected (so a fuel cell will probably be tough to implement).  I've looked into catalytic recombiners but all I could find were ones for nuclear power plants... much larger and more expensive than the <1 kg/hr capacity I am dealing with here.

Any help is greatly appreciated.   

RE: Disposal/Conversion of Waste Hydrogen Gas

Sorry, but I'm afraid you probably do need a vent to do this safely.

I'd recommend a Bunsen burner fueled with natural gas, into which the small hydrogen stream is introduced as it is produced.  As long as you're not producing a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen from your electrolyzer, and you have a means to detect the flame and stop the hydrogen and natural gas flow if the flame goes out, it should work more reliably than any catalytic device you could kludge together by yourself.  You'd still be advised to have a vent in the area, though!

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members! Already a Member? Login


Resources

Low-Volume Rapid Injection Molding With 3D Printed Molds
Learn methods and guidelines for using stereolithography (SLA) 3D printed molds in the injection molding process to lower costs and lead time. Discover how this hybrid manufacturing process enables on-demand mold fabrication to quickly produce small batches of thermoplastic parts. Download Now
Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM)
Examine how the principles of DfAM upend many of the long-standing rules around manufacturability - allowing engineers and designers to place a part’s function at the center of their design considerations. Download Now
Taking Control of Engineering Documents
This ebook covers tips for creating and managing workflows, security best practices and protection of intellectual property, Cloud vs. on-premise software solutions, CAD file management, compliance, and more. Download Now

Close Box

Join Eng-Tips® Today!

Join your peers on the Internet's largest technical engineering professional community.
It's easy to join and it's free.

Here's Why Members Love Eng-Tips Forums:

Register now while it's still free!

Already a member? Close this window and log in.

Join Us             Close