Industrial Safety and Physical Risk Analysis Group
Industrial Safety and Physical Risk Analysis Group
7 Researchers:
Hiroumi Shiina, Ryoji Makino, Akira Matsugi, Yoshiaki Takahashi, Kaname Sawaguchi, Makoto Asahara*(* Cross Appointment Fellow)
10 Contract Employees
Outline
In order to utilise the excellent properties of high-energy materials such as hydrogen, which is expected to be a next generation energy carrier, , and other combustible gases and explosives, it is important to identify the hazards of the materials and technologies to be handled, prevent accidents through control and management technology to handle energy appropriately, and mitigate the severity of harm caused by combustion and explosion accidents through mitigation technology. Furthermore, it is important to learn from accidents to improve safety management. To this end, our group promotes the development of technologies for the safe use of high-energy materials and the advancement of industrial safety, and we aim to meet the needs of government and society related to combustion and explosion safety through research on 1) the safe use of high-pressure gases, 2) explosive safety and its applications and 3) industrial safety.
Research Highlights
Safe Use of High Pressure Gases, etc.
We develop safety assessment techniques to support new technologies using high pressure gases and flammable gases such as hydrogen and new refrigerants, and we aim to realize a safe and secure society through self-managed industrial safety techniques.
Safety assessment studies for expanding the use of hydrogen
- Safety evaluation of hydrogen supply systems
Evaluation of physical risks and hazards in hydrogen leakage from hydrogen supply systems including pipelines.
・Leak/diffusion behaviour
・Explosion impact assessment on ignition
・Evaluation of hazard reduction methods
Flame from ignition of hydrogen leaked to a confined space (Ref: METI Project “Risk evaluation of large damage of hydrogen pipeline”)
- Safety assessment of green hydrogen production systems
Safety technology assessment of a system that uses solar energy and photocatalysis to split water to produce green hydrogen (artificial photosynthesis)
・Detonation characteristics in gas transport pipes
・Evaluation of the performance of deflagration equipment
Experimental equipment for extinguishing detonating flames that propagate long distances in pipes (the Artificial Photosynthesis Project (ARPChem) of the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO))
Next generation rocket safety research
- Developing safety standards for next-generation rocket fuels.
Assessing the safety of space transportation systems with next-generation rocket fuels
・Diffusion, combustion and explosion effects of the fuels
・Establishment of explosion impact estimation and evaluation techniques
Chemistry-Based Evaluation of Combustion Properties
Evaluating combustion properties based on high-temperature kinetic experiments and detailed chemical kinetic modeling
- Oxidation and combustion of flammable gases
- Molecular growth chemistry of hydrocarbons
- Combustion and pyrolysis of halogenated compounds
Chemical shock tube for high-temperature reaction studies |
Explosive Safety and its Applications
Development of Blasting Techniques
Technology that uses explosives to quickly destroy only the target area
→Controlled blasting
Blasting with smaller amounts of explosives (gram level) than before
→ Mini-Blasting
Applications
- Development of partial repair techniques for deteriorated building structures in urban areas
- Rescuing people from collapsed buildings in the event of a large-scale disaster.
Basic research for the realization of blasting technology with rapid and low environmental impact (vibration, noise, and flying debris)
→ Elucidation of explosive explosion and destruction phenomena of explosives based on optical observation such as DIC (Digital Image Correlation) method and numerical simulation technology such as CFD
Mini-Blasting Application Examples To create an opening for rescuing rescuers from a collapsed building during a large-scale disaster, so that no flying debris is generated on the rescuer’s side. |
Industrial Safety
Guidelines for Explosion-proof Drones in Plants
There is a growing need for the use of drones in plants, but the law regulates their use in hazardous areas.
For contributing to the development of explosion-proof drones, guidelines on issues to be addressed and the concept of performance specifications were organized.
(from “Research on guidelines for explosion-proof drone requirements” METI Project 2020)
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Economic evaluation of safety measures
In order to persuade companies to invest sustainably in safety measures, evidence of the effectiveness of such investments must be provided.
We developed methodologies and tools to assist companies in conducting economic evaluations of their safety measures in advance and in a simplified manner.
(from “Research on economic evaluation of safety measures” Japan Industrial Safety & Health Association Project 2022)
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