Measurements of effective diffusion coefficients of helium and hydrogen through gypsum

An experimental apparatus, which was based on the ¼-scale garage previously used for studying helium release and dispersion in our laboratory, was used to obtain effective diffusion coefficients of helium and hydrogen (released as forming gas for safety reasons) through gypsum panel. Two types of gypsum panel were used in the experiments. Helium or forming gas was released into the enclosure from a Fischer burner1 located near the enclosure floor for a fixed duration and then terminated. Eight thermal-conductivity sensors mounted at different vertical locations above the enclosure floor were used to monitor the temporal and spatial gas concentrations. An electric fan was used inside the enclosure to mix the released gas to ensure a spatially uniform gas concentration to minimize stratification. The temporal variations of the pressure difference between the enclosure interior and the ambience were also measured. An analytical model was developed to extract the effective diffusion coefficients from the experimental data.

► Effective diffusion of hydrogen and helium through gypsum were measured using a ¼-scale model garage.
► An analytical model was developed to extract the effective diffusion coefficients from the experimental data.
► Measured effective diffusion coefficients of helium and hydrogen were on the order of 10−5 m2/s.