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

Liquid Hydrogen Release from a Truck
The leak occurred on a 44 m vehicle of liquid hydrogen during a delivery to the unloading station of a steel plant. The truck drivers had connected the tank container to the fixed storage managed by a subcontractor, carried out a nitrogen sweep of the hose before cooling it, and were pressurizing the H2 before unloading when they saw a white cloud. The drivers closed the bottom valve of the container and the upstream and downstream valves of the heater before evacuating the area and sounding the alarm. Two technicians of the subcontractor company arrived 30 minutes later, located the leak on the flange of one of the four protective valves of the tank container and closed the three ways valve to isolate the valves 2 by 2. Two of the four fixing bolts were missing from the leaking flange. They resealed the flange correctly and performed a leak test.
Event Date
September 20, 2011
Record Quality Indicator
Region / Country
Event Initiating System
Classification of the Physical Effects
Nature of the Consequences
Cause Comments
The immediate cause was the lack of tightness of a cryogenic tank flange, which started releasing when raising the pressure,.The root cause was inadequate reassembling of some of the flange bolts during the previous maintenance, performed 17 days before.
Facility Information
Specific Application Supply Chain Stage
Components Involved
liquid hydrogen cryogenic tank, truck, liquid hydrogen heater
Storage/Process Medium
Storage/Process Quantity
44
Location Type
Location description
Industrial Area
Pre-event Summary
The tank drivers had started the procedure for unloading and evaporating the liquid hydrogen. This process consisted in: 1) connecting the tank container to the fixed storage 2) execute a nitrogen sweep of the hose and cooling it, 3) pressurizing the H2 before unloading.
Consequences
Number of Injured Persons
1
Currency
Lessons Learned
Lessons Learned
The ARIA report (see references) does not mention any corrective action, and also the real cause of the lack of tightness of the leaking flange is not identified. There could be two root causes: a human cause, because the maintenance procedure were not followed, and/or inadequate procedure, which (for example) does not foresees a leak test under pressure after the maintenance. In the first case, personnel training is required, in the second, a review of the procedure is required, probably assessed by a new risk assessment.
Event Nature
Emergency Action
The public rescue services established a 150 m safety perimeter and evacuate 50 employees. The road traffic was interrupted for less than one hour. After the end of the emergency status, the operation of unloading the hydrogen was restarted and successfully brought to an end.
Release Type
Release Substance
Hydrogen Release Concentration (%)
100.00
Detonation
No
Deflagration
No
High Pressure Explosion
No
High Voltage Explosion
No
Source Category
References
References

Event description in the French database ARIA
https://www.aria.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/accident/40965/
(accessed October 2020)

News of the event in Ouest France, 20/09/2011
https://nantes.maville.com/actu/actudet_-une-fuite-d-hydrogene-vite-mai…
(accessed October 2020)

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