Skip to main content

Release from the Storage of a Hydrogen Production Plant (1086)

The accidental hydrogen release occurred when testing the storage system connected to a PEM electrolyzer. The leak test consisted in filling the storage with hydrogen at step-wise increase of pressure. After the step at 3 bar (0.3 MPa), which did not reveal any leak, the storage was pressurised up to 5 bar (0.5 MPa). At that moment a hissing sound occurred from the storage at the outside of the building indicating a leak.

Explosion at an Electrolyzer at a Refueling Station (1084)

This incident occurred at the electrolyzer of a refuelling station. An employee of the electrolyzers manufacturer was on-site to conduct a reset of the plant power breaker system and to restart gas generation. Whilst putting the system into generation, a loud bang was heard. By reviewing the station CCTV evidence, a cloud of water vapour was seen being emitted from the oxygen vent line of the electrolyzer container. The gas generation system was safely shut down, and an investigation was started to understand the cause and potential impacts.

Explosion on a Hydrogen Production Unit (1079)

At approximately 8:45 a.m. an employee was troubleshooting a thermal chamber, evaluating a Hydrogen on Demand (HOD) unit. The chamber was reported inoperative that morning. Two units were being tested on a work bench and they were connected by an exhaust hose to an HOD inside the test chamber. The gas was not properly exhausted and began to back up into the hose that was attached to the HOD. The employee removed the side panel on the chamber and it exploded while he were standing in front of it. He was killed by the explosion.

Fire on an Alkaline Electrolyzer (1065)

A fire broke out on the insulating plastic elements of an alkaline electrolyzer in a unit of a chemical plant. The shift saw the smoke from the control room. The first action was to drain the potash into a tank provided for this purpose and to shut down the electrolyzer. The on-call electrician interrupted the electricity. The safety technician brought the fire under control in less than 10 minutes using CO2 extinguishers. After approximately six hours, the unit is restarted.

Explosion of a Storage Vessel in a Hydrogen Production Facility (1053)

This incident occurred at the hydrogen production and storage unit of (probably) a power plant using hydrogen as a coolant of the turbine-generator system. Hydrogen was produced probably by water electrolysis (the source does not say it) and stored in 6 steel tanks. One of the six hydrogen storage tanks exploded killing a staff member. The investigation determined that a mixing of hydrogen and oxygen occurred in the tank. The needle valve of the hydrogen and oxygen pressure regulator as jammed, and the oxygen leaked into the hydrogen main supply line and entered the hydrogen tank.

Explosion at a Hydrogen Production Plant (1039)

An explosion of unknown cause occurred at a hydrogen manufacturing plant. The explosion occurred on the second floor of the building, used by employees as a cafeteria and offices. The company where the accident occurred mainly produces industrial hydrogen gas and supplies it in cylinders and trailers, as well as through pipe-line. The building was damaged and three people were seriously injured. The explosion shook the ground and caused nearby workers to evacuate.

Leakage of Potassium Hydroxide from a Water Electrolyzer (1037)

The incident consisted of a leakage of potassium hydroxide solution (KOH) from an alkaline electrolyzer in a renewable hydrogen production plant. One webpage news reported that smoke formation triggered the fire alarm system. According to the manufacturer, the equipment shut down and automatically went into safety mode in accordance with the integrated safety system.Nobody was injured in the event and there was no damage on the environment.

Water Electrolyzer Explosion (1002)

The incident occurred during the verification operation of a new high pressure hydrogen generator. The electrolysis cell burned down, the pipes of the oxygen circuit burst and the peripheral equipment were scattered all over the facilities. The liquid blown out from the broken pipes and the gas release valve, and glass fragments were scattered within a radius of ten meters. There was no injury. The analysis of the incident (Wada et al., ICHS 2007) assumed as probable initiating cause that titanium electrode in the electrolysis cell was exposed to oxygen and burned.

Fire in a in a Fertilizer Manufacturing Plant (983)

The incident took place on the reforming furnace unit of the plant. Around 23:30 pm, during a normal inspection tour, an operator detected a fire on a section of a steam line. He immediately informed the control room. A reduction in the rate of the unit is was not worsening. Steam hoses were used in the direction of the flame and the identified hot spots. The next morning at around 6:00 am, the unit was progressively shut down and the fire extinguished.The reforming furnace unit consisted of 198 tubes containing a catalyst.

Hydrogen Explosion at Renewable Hydrogen Production Facility (970)

The hydrogen buffer tanks that exploded were part of an experimental facility experimenting generation of renewable hydrogen from a water electrolyzer coupled to solar panels.The three hydrogen tanks (40 m3 capacity each at pressures of 1,2 MPa one of them and 0,7 MPa the two others) were receiving the hydrogen produced by the electrolyzer. Firefighters said all three tanks were destroyed in the explosion; there was no fire, but the explosion was strong enough to send debris being scattered in an area well over 3,000 square meters.
Subscribe to Hydrogen Production
We are professional and reliable provider since we offer customers the most powerful and beautiful themes. Besides, we always catch the latest technology and adapt to follow world’s new trends to deliver the best themes to the market.

Contact info

We are the leaders in the building industries and factories. We're word wide. We never give up on the challenges.

Recent Posts