Because the bottle was located outside at the time of the event, and the hydrogen did not find a source of ignition while venting through the relief valve, nothing serious happened. The failed regulator was replaced and operations continued.…

As stated on the MSDS and also on the container labels, LiAlH4 should be handled under argon. LiAlH4 is advertised and sold as a powder. If the researcher had to scrape it out of the jar, then it was no longer a powder, which seems indicative of…

During charging, most batteries will offgas hydrogen, making adequate ventilation and the elimination of ignition sources critical attributes of the charging area. Data from the battery manufacturer should be consulted to determine appropriate…

Include the tanks in a regular inspection program. Evaluate their condition and replace if necessary.
Fill the tanks only half full with leach material.
Keep the material completely submerged in solution.
Install a fiberglass…

1. The trailer involved in the incident used a frangible burst disk based upon the proprietary metal compound designated as Inconel #600. Random sampling of similar pressure relief devices from the same trailer showed that all of them failed at…

LESSONS LEARNED:

Compressed gas cylinder caps can be very difficult to open as rust often occurs in the threads.
There are wrenches specifically designed to remove compressed gas cylinder caps. The lab had such a wrench and it was…

1. Increase physical protection, shielding, and securing of transported hydrogen tube valves, piping, and fittings from multi-directional forces that are likely to occur during accidents, including rollovers. Reference: 49 Code of Federal…

Upgrade the liquid hydrogen pump control system to shut down operation of the pump and protect the system when malfunctions like leaks, pump cavitation, or loss of purge gas occur.
Verify that maintenance procedures used for liquid…

It is important to understand the requirements and standards associated with safe equipment design (especially electrical equipment containing an internal ignition source with flammable gas) in potentially explosive atmosphere environments.…

1. Management must ensure that operating decisions are not based primarily on cost and production. Performance goals and operating risks must be effectively communicated to all employees. Facility management must set safe, achievable operating…

Incorporate external operating experience lessons learned into site program controls. Other nuclear plants had similar strand failures and back-of-core issues that were not evaluated for impact on procedures or system/component health plans.…

The following corrective actions have been taken:

The non-return valve was dismantled, cleaned, and tested. Following positive testing, the system was restarted and pressurized without any further malfunctioning.
The hydrogen…

Specific response drills/exercises need to be conducted yearly. In this case, all safety systems worked as they should and outside emergency responders were not needed.
Performing other tasks while filling hydrogen tube trailers, such as…

1. Evaluate any change in normal procedures or conditions for storage of aluminum hydride products. In this case, the aluminum hydride material was typically stored at -35°C in the glove box freezer. However, due to a change in glove boxes, this…

1. Ensure that equipment and materials exposed to hydrogen are compatible with a hydrogen environment (even hydrogen-service-rated equipment).

2. Equipment designs in a hydrogen environment that use the fracture toughness for 17-4…

The packing in the flow control valve should be replaced periodically. A planned investigation will determine the optimum time period for packing replacement.

Inadequate Safeguards - The system was designed with low-point drains to facilitate water removal, however, these were found to be inadequate in both location and size. The fact that the mixed feed pre-heat coil was not self-draining was unknown…

The following recommended actions were identified:

Reemphasize the current lab management policies and practices on how process changes are evaluated for direct/indirect impacts on the process.
Reinforce with lab workers the…

1. All samples with potential for hydrogen buildup should be limited to ground shipment only. (This shipment was by ground and air. If this incident were to have happened in an airplane, the consequences may have been worse.)

2. All…

A hydrogen tube pressure indication system needs to be developed that is robust enough to withstand an accident, indicates hydrogen pressure regardless of valve position, and would be visible from a safe distance during an accident situation.…