Helium dispersion following release in a 1/4-scale two-car residential garage

A series of experiments are described in which helium was released at a constant rate into a 1.5 m × 1.5 m × 0.75 m enclosure designed as a 1/4-scale model of a two-car garage. The purpose was to provide reference datasets for testing and validating computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models and to experimentally characterize the effects of a number of variables on the mixing behavior within an enclosure and the exchange of helium with the outside surroundings. Helium was used as a surrogate for hydrogen, and the total volume released was scaled as the amount that would be released by a typical hydrogen-fueled automobile with a full tank. Temporal profiles of helium were measured at seven vertical locations within the enclosure during and following 1-h and 4-h releases. Idealized vents in one wall sized to provide air exchange rates typical of actual garages were used. The effects of vent size, number, and location were investigated using three different vent combinations. The dependence on leak location was considered by releasing helium at three different points within the enclosure.