Study on the suppression of hydrogen generation by actual incineration ash containing aluminum and water

Abstract

Cases of explosions near ash extruders, conveyors, and ash pits have been reported at refuse incineration plants. The cause is thought to be that the cooling water used to cool the ash and prevent scattering became alkaline, causing the metallic aluminum contained in the ash to react and generate hydrogen. If equipment such as conveyors is damaged by the explosion, stable operation of the facility may be hindered or workers may be injured, and countermeasures are desirable. On the other hand, it is difficult to monitor and predict the generation and retention behavior of hydrogen, and only coping measures such as ventilation and retention control structures are currently available. In order to essentially reduce the risk of explosions, it is also important to control hydrogen generation. In this study, hydrogen production experiments were conducted using a mixture of actual incinerator ash and aluminum powder to elucidate the conditions under which hydrogen generation can be stopped. As a result, it was found that the reaction between the actual incinerated ash containing aluminum powder and water can be suppressed.