A Fire After Hydrogen Trailer Crash
A pick-up truck pulling a trailer carrying compressed hydrogen crashed in Ohio yesterday. The hydrogen leaked and ignited, producing flames ten metres into the air. The hydrogen quantity transported was 450 kg.
Event Date
February 7, 2023
Record Quality Indicator
Region / Country
Event Initiating System
Classification of the Physical Effects
Nature of the Consequences
Causes (Select all applicable options):
Cause Comments
The event was caused by a private car crashing into the trailer
Application Type
Application
Specific Application Supply Chain Stage
Components Involved
trailer, bundle, tubes, valves, etc.
Storage/Process Medium
Storage/Process Quantity
450
Storage/Process Units
Location Type
Location description
Countryside Road Or Highway
Operational Condition
Pre-event Summary
The trailer consisted in two 'compartments' with 3 tube each.
Lessons Learned
According to an analysis of experts, who did not executed any inspection or used technical evidences but only an online films, the fire (unclear if started by a hydrogen system or conventional fire) caused the opening of the TPRD (Thermally Activated Pressure Release Devices) of each tube. Their conclusion is that the safety system worked as designed (none of the compressed gas tubes failed).
Emergency Action
An employee of the company responsible for the hydrogen transport visited the site with a thermal imagining camera to make sure that the site was safe and that there would be no further fires or explosions
Release Type
Release Substance
Hydrogen Release Concentration (%)
100.00
Detonation
No
Deflagration
No
High Pressure Explosion
No
High Voltage Explosion
No
Source Category
References
HydrogenInsight news of 7 Feb 2023
https://www.hydrogeninsight.com/transport/explosion-after-explosion-thr…
(retrieved February 2023)
LINKEDIN discussion available at
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/dawenger_explosion-after-explosion-three…