Explosion in a Rocket Development Center
An explosion occurred at testing equipment of a fuel-feeding system for a space rocket engine. According to the original source of this event, now lost, the test envisaged a 42 MPa high-pressure hydrogen gas flow system, an exhaust gas duct outlet was damaged and hydrogen blew out and exploded. High-pressure hydrogen was flowing during the test, and burned not in the burner (a gas generator), but in a silencer tower after flowing through an exhaust gas duct. This explosion was caused due to damage to that duct.Apparently, the cause of this accident was deterioration of the exhaust gas duct outlet by thermal stress. The AP news specifies that the leak happened at a broken leaked liquid hydrogen pipe (thus not at high pressure). Two similar accidents had already occurred I in the past: first in September 1987,when the roof of the facility was blown off by a liquid hydrogen leak. The second time in November 1987, with only minor damage from a blast caused by a similar leak.
Event Date
May 16, 1991
Record Quality Indicator
Region / Country
Event Initiating System
Classification of the Physical Effects
Nature of the Consequences
Facility Information
Application Type
Application
Specific Application Supply Chain Stage
Components Involved
liquid hydrogen system
Storage/Process Medium
Location Type
Location description
Industrial Area
Operational Condition
Pre-event Summary
This testing site for H2 rocket had been plagued with problems. The rockets scheduled launching had been recently postponed by a year, to January or February 1993.Two similar accidents had already occurred I in the past: first in September 1987,when the roof of the facility was blown off by a liquid hydrogen leak. The second time in November 1987, with only minor damage from a blast caused by a similar leak.
Number of Fatalities
1
Lessons Learned
Lessons Learned
Unknown
Event Nature
Emergency Action
Unknown
Detonation
No
Deflagration
No
High Pressure Explosion
No
High Voltage Explosion
No
Source Category
References
References
AP news of May 17, 1991
https://apnews.com/article/0b7134a101eb80dc1135238222b8bbb7
Original source is http://shippai.jst.go.jp/en/Detail?fn=0&id=CC1200114&
(not available or accesible anymore)