Fire in a Hydrogen Storage Facility
Employees were refilling a rack of 15 hydrogen cylinders that were connected together on a steel pallet with railings. A leak developed at a valve and the pressurized hydrogen ignited. Operations activated a deluge sprinkler system, which turned off the compressor that was pumping in hydrogen. The fire was contained by the sprinkler system as the hydrogen pressure bled off. There were no injuries.
Event Date
July 12, 1988
Record Quality Indicator
Region / Country
Event Initiating System
Classification of the Physical Effects
Nature of the Consequences
Cause Comments
A leak developed at a valve of a hydrogen cylinder.
Facility Information
Application Type
Application
Specific Application Supply Chain Stage
Components Involved
hydrogen cylinders, rack, compressor, sprinkler
Storage/Process Medium
Location Type
Location description
Inhabited Area
Pre-event Summary
A leak developed at a valve of a hydrogen cylinder
Lessons Learned
Lessons Learned
A probable, logic generic lesson learned is the need of proper inspection and maintenance, and the regular improvement of the related procedure. In similar accidents, one of the recommendations was the installation of control valve on each of the cylinders in the rack. However, in this case it seems that the accidents occurred when filling the cylinders, and the description does not clarify where he hydrogen feeding the fire was coming from: from the cylinders of form the compressor of from both?
Event Nature
Emergency Action
The activation of the safety deluge sprinkler system turned off the hydrogen compressor and contained the fire till the hydrogen pressure bled off.
Release Type
Release Substance
Hydrogen Release Concentration (%)
100.00
Ignition Source
Detonation
No
Deflagration
No
High Pressure Explosion
No
High Voltage Explosion
No
Flame Type
Source Category
References
References
OHSA report 0951510
https://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/establishment.inspection_detail?id=103880…
(accessedOctober2020)