Hazardous Areas – Material Comparison (Methane vs. Hydrogen)

January 18, 2025

Introduction

Life is filled with hidden hazards—some of which, like explosive risks, are more common than you'd expect in our everyday environment. Whether it's filling up the car at a service station, turning on the stove at home, or even baking a cake, explosive atmospheres can form around us without us even realizing it. Many organizations are unaware of the risks they face when producing, handling, and storing a range of liquids, gases, and dusts.

This article explores some surprising, un-intuitive facts about explosive hazards involving common materials like dusts, liquids, and gases. By comparing these materials, we’ll see just how close—or how different—they can be when it comes to hazardous properties.

Methane vs. Hydrogen

With increasing discussions about replacing natural gas with hydrogen to reduce emissions (Read more about this topic in this article). It’s worth exploring the differences between these two gases, especially when it comes to hazardous areas.

Natural gas is primarily composed of methane, typically making up 70-90% of its content. In hazardous area classification, methane is assigned to Gas Group IIA. Hydrogen, however, belongs to Gas Group IIC, indicating a much higher hazard level.

What do these gas groups mean? They categorize gases based on their ignition sensitivity and explosion propagation rate. There are three groups: IIA, IIB, and IIC, with IIA representing lower risk and IIC representing the highest. Hydrogen’s classification as IIC highlights its highly explosive nature, which means extra precautions must be taken when using it, especially in future hydrogen-based energy systems.

Significant safety measures need to be in place before cities start using hydrogen for heating, as its explosive potential far exceeds that of natural gas.

Conclusion

When it comes to dealing with flammable liquids or combustible dusts, there’s no room for complacency. It’s vital to engage with a hazardous area expert who can provide you with comprehensive advice and guidance specific to your situation. As we’ve seen, each material—whether it’s dust, liquid, or gas—comes with its own unique risks, requiring tailored safety measures.

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