Resistance of different barrier materials against hydrogen jet flames : CLT, Gypsum and Steel-sandwich
Wijesekere, Thushadh LU
; Runefors, Marcus
LU
; Wilkens Flecknoe-Brown, Konrad
LU
and Lopez Santiago, Juan Carlos
(2026)
In Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries
103.
- Abstract
Hydrogen related accidents often lead to a jet fire scenario due to the lower ignition energies and higher pressures associated with hydrogen and its storage. Fire barriers can be used for protection against jet fires. Barriers are capable of limiting flame extension by diverting the flames in a safer manner, eliminating the impingement risk on the unexposed side and thereby reducing required safety distances. The experimental study presented in this paper investigates the performance of different barrier materials in a hydrogen jet fire scenario. Three types of fire barriers, Gypsum, Steel-sandwich panels and cross-laminated timber (CLT) were tested in this study. All barriers were constructed to meet the standard EI60 rating. The... (More)
Hydrogen related accidents often lead to a jet fire scenario due to the lower ignition energies and higher pressures associated with hydrogen and its storage. Fire barriers can be used for protection against jet fires. Barriers are capable of limiting flame extension by diverting the flames in a safer manner, eliminating the impingement risk on the unexposed side and thereby reducing required safety distances. The experimental study presented in this paper investigates the performance of different barrier materials in a hydrogen jet fire scenario. Three types of fire barriers, Gypsum, Steel-sandwich panels and cross-laminated timber (CLT) were tested in this study. All barriers were constructed to meet the standard EI60 rating. The results show that the performance of the different barrier materials varies significantly despite having the same fire resistance rating, with flames penetrating through from 824 s for Gypsum up to approximately one hour for Steel-sandwich. While Steel-sandwich panels provided best integrity, CLT provided better insulation and maintained both EI60 criteria the longest. A key issue with the CLT was identified relating to the heat feedback from CLT panel towards the source which were more than double compared to the other barrier types.
(Less)
- author
- Wijesekere, Thushadh
LU
; Runefors, Marcus
LU
; Wilkens Flecknoe-Brown, Konrad
LU
and Lopez Santiago, Juan Carlos
- organization
- publishing date
- 2026-10
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- CLT, Fire barriers, Gypsum, Hydrogen, Jet fire, Steel-sandwich
- in
- Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries
- volume
- 103
- article number
- 106078
- publisher
- Elsevier
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:105042246096
- ISSN
- 0950-4230
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.jlp.2026.106078
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- additional info
- Publisher Copyright: © 2026 The Authors
- id
- e7600455-8249-4d82-83f1-9701143e1bdf
- date added to LUP
- 2026-06-25 19:02:45
- date last changed
- 2026-09-16 12:43:08
@article{e7600455-8249-4d82-83f1-9701143e1bdf,
abstract = {{<p>Hydrogen related accidents often lead to a jet fire scenario due to the lower ignition energies and higher pressures associated with hydrogen and its storage. Fire barriers can be used for protection against jet fires. Barriers are capable of limiting flame extension by diverting the flames in a safer manner, eliminating the impingement risk on the unexposed side and thereby reducing required safety distances. The experimental study presented in this paper investigates the performance of different barrier materials in a hydrogen jet fire scenario. Three types of fire barriers, Gypsum, Steel-sandwich panels and cross-laminated timber (CLT) were tested in this study. All barriers were constructed to meet the standard EI60 rating. The results show that the performance of the different barrier materials varies significantly despite having the same fire resistance rating, with flames penetrating through from 824 s for Gypsum up to approximately one hour for Steel-sandwich. While Steel-sandwich panels provided best integrity, CLT provided better insulation and maintained both EI60 criteria the longest. A key issue with the CLT was identified relating to the heat feedback from CLT panel towards the source which were more than double compared to the other barrier types.</p>}},
author = {{Wijesekere, Thushadh and Runefors, Marcus and Wilkens Flecknoe-Brown, Konrad and Lopez Santiago, Juan Carlos}},
issn = {{0950-4230}},
keywords = {{CLT; Fire barriers; Gypsum; Hydrogen; Jet fire; Steel-sandwich}},
language = {{eng}},
publisher = {{Elsevier}},
series = {{Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries}},
title = {{Resistance of different barrier materials against hydrogen jet flames : CLT, Gypsum and Steel-sandwich}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jlp.2026.106078}},
doi = {{10.1016/j.jlp.2026.106078}},
volume = {{103}},
year = {{2026}},
}