EPRI Core Protection NANTeL Practice Test 2026 - Free Practice Questions and Study Guide

Hydrogen management in containment relies on keeping the hydrogen concentration from reaching flammable levels by turning hydrogen into water. This is done with hydrogen recombiners, which use a catalytic surface to combine hydrogen with oxygen, forming water vapor. In both BWR and PWR containments, hydrogen can be produced during accidents, such as zirconium oxidation or radiolysis, so having recombiners helps prevent dangerous hydrogen buildup.

Oxygen fans don’t specifically reduce hydrogen concentration; they mainly move air or vent gases and don’t eliminate the hydrogen risk. Nitrogen purge would inert the environment by replacing it with nitrogen, but that’s not the standard method for ongoing hydrogen control in containment. Filtration targets moisture or other contaminants, not the hydrogen concentration.

So the best description is that hydrogen recombiners remove hydrogen by catalytically converting it to water, addressing the hydrogen risk in containment for both reactor types.