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This data is from the European Hydrogen Incidents and Accidents database HIAD 2.1, European Commission, Joint Research Centre.

Explosions in a Reactor Used to Hydrogenate Pharmaceutical intermediates
The accident occurred in the Reactor 6 used to carry out the hydrogenation of a pharmaceutical intermediate.The operation of the plant was organized in two shifts. Since the hydrogenation at Reactor 6 would have taken at least 30 hours, it was not possible to complete the reaction during a single shift. The reaction was commenced at 8:00 a.m. on the day of the accident and, at 11:50 p.m., the shift chemical operator closed down the system as follows: - he shut off the hydrogen addition at the reactor and closed the valve at the hydrogen cylinder bank; - the reactor's agitator was turned off and the reactor was left isolated with an hydrogen atmosphere over the liquid. No nitrogen inerting was used. The operator checked the reactor's control panel which showed normal operating temperature and pressure. The operator was also in control of Reactor 5 which he shut down in a similar manner. At approximately midnight, as the chemical operators were changing in their locker room, they heard a loud explosion coming from the process area. As they evacuated the building, they observed a fire around Reactor 6. The area sprinkler system was automatically activated and quenched the fire. It was noticed that one operator was missing. He came to the assembly point a few minutes later and said that when the explosion occurred he was trapped in the mill room weighing finished product. He could not exit by the process area and had to exit through a hatch on the floor, jump onto a rotary dryer below and climb down to the ground floor. A second explosion occurred a few minutes later. A fire with a characteristic black smoke resulted, indicative of a solvent fire. The sprinkler system extinguished this fire. A short while later, the fire services arrived and put out small localized fires on the ground floor around Reactor 6. The building was left vacant for the rest of the night.
Event Date
April 30, 1987
Record Quality Indicator
Region / Country
Event Initiating System
Classification of the Physical Effects
Nature of the Consequences
Cause Comments
The immediate cause was probably a release of hydrogen triggered by the malfunctioning of the agitator. The maintenance record on the agitator showed that it malfunctioned on numerous occasions. It was felt that the agitator possibly malfunctioned again allowing a hydrogen leak. As the reactor was located in a general process area with plants operating nearby, the released hydrogen could easily have found an ignition source as some of the electrical plants operating nearby were not suitable for use with hydrogen. The investigation showed that the reactor's pressure relief line did not operate as the bursting disc was found to be intact.
Facility Information
Application Type
Specific Application Supply Chain Stage
Components Involved
hydrogenation of pharmaceutical intermediate
Storage/Process Medium
Location Type
Location description
Industrial Area
Pre-event Summary
The process of hydrogenation is carried out by bubbling hydrogen into a well stirred mixture of the intermediate in acetone, the solvent, with a palladium catalyst at 35 degrees Celsius. The hydrogen is fed into the reactor through a 1 cm diameter pipeline from a cylinder bank of hydrogen stored outside at ground floor level.
Lessons Learned
Lessons Learned
After this accident, the following measures were established:1- to carry out hydrogenation in a separate dedicated process area with electrical equipment suitable for use with hydrogen;2- to provide adequate alarms to warn when a hydrogen leak could occur. The Company was also required to:3- to implement a more extensive preventive maintenance system;4- to install appropriate pressure relief devices to ensure that emissions do not vent into the process area;5- to review procedures to ensure that processes which have to be left unattended overnight are left in a safe state;6- to provide nitrogen purging in any reactor containing highly flammable solvents which have to be left unattended overnight.
Event Nature
Emergency Action
The area sprinkler system was automatically activated following the first explosion and fire around reactor 6 and quenched the fire. A second explosion then occurred a few minutes later followed by a fire with a characteristic black smoke resulted, indicative of a solvent fire. The sprinkler system again extinguished this fire. A short while later, the fire services (counting 15 fire fighters)arrived and put out small localized fires on the ground floor around Reactor 6. The building was left vacant for the rest of the night.No off-site emergency measures were necessary. No emergency measures are still necessary, neither on-site nor off-site
Release Type
Detonation
No
Deflagration
No
High Pressure Explosion
No
High Voltage Explosion
No
Source Category
References
References

Major Accident Hazards Bureau, European Commission
Database eMARS
https://emars.jrc.ec.europa.eu/en/eMARS/accident/view/13b2915d-8e2b-76f…
(accessed July 2020)

ARIA database entry:
https://www.aria.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/accident/22251/
(accessed July 2023)

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