First Name
Andy
Last Name
Piatt
Severity
Incident
Was Hydrogen Released?
No
Was There Ignition?
Yes
Ignition Source
unknown
Incident Date
Dec 09, 2010
Equipment
  • Vehicle & Fueling Systems
  • Fuel Cell Vehicle
Damage and Injuries
Probable Cause
Contributing Factors
When Incident Was Discovered
Lessons Learned

The root cause of the fire that burned the evaporator pad and distorted the plastic evaporator pad bracket remains unknown. The initial investigation did not reveal any obvious signs of an ignition source in the vicinity of the forklift operation. The on-board data acquisition system did not indicate any abnormalities in the operating parameters of the fuel cell system (e.g., temperature, pressure, voltage, current). The fuel cell was disassembled, but no evidence was found of any electrical shorts or other potential ignition sources. Thus it was concluded that the fuel cell unit itself was not the ignition source for this incident.

One theory presented the possibility of a spark (caused by static electricity) being the source of the ignition that caused the fire. Due to the proximity of the fuel cell unit to a shrink-wrap packaging machine at the time of the incident, this seemed to be a plausible hypothesis. However, sparking tests on evaporator pad materials failed to confirm this, and it seems highly unlikely that a wet evaporator pad would ignite from static electricity. The true ignition source for this incident remains unknown.

After the initial investigation, the company used a hydrogen meter to monitor hydrogen levels near the evaporator pad during fuel cell start-up (which they expected to be the highest, due to a system purge). They also wanted to investigate if hydrogen could become trapped near the vent covering the evaporator pad. The tests indicated hydrogen levels well below the lower flammability limit (0.022%). Similar readings were also detected from the exhaust on the other make/model fuel cells operating in the facility. They detected no sign that high levels of hydrogen were trapped near the vent of any fuel cell make/model.

Key:

  • = No Ignition
  • = Explosion
  • = Fire
Hydrogen Incident Summaries by Equipment and Primary Cause/Issue
Equipment / Cause Equipment Design or Selection Component Failure Operational Error Installation or Maintenance Inadequate Gas or Flame Detection Emergency Shutdown Response Other or Unknown
Hydrogen Gas Metal Cylinder or Regulator   3/31/2012
4/30/1995
2/6/2013
4/26/2010 12/31/1969     3/17/1999
11/1/2001
12/23/2003
Piping/Valves 4/4/2002
2/2/2008
5/11/1999
4/20/1987
11/4/1997
12/31/1969
8/19/1986
7/27/1991
12/19/2004
2/6/2008
10/3/2008
4/5/2006
5/1/2007
9/19/2007
10/31/1980
2/7/2009 1/24/1999
2/24/2006
6/8/1998
12/31/1969
2/7/2009

9/1/1992
10/31/1980

10/3/2008  
Tubing/Fittings/Hose   9/23/1999
8/2/2004
8/6/2008
9/19/2007
1/1/1982 9/30/2004
10/7/2005
  10/7/2005  
Compressor   10/5/2009
6/10/2007
8/21/2008
1/15/2019
    10/5/2009 8/21/2008  
Liquid Hydrogen Tank or Delivery Truck 4/27/1989 12/19/2004
1/19/2009
8/6/2004 12/31/1969   1/1/1974 12/17/2004
Pressure Relief Device 7/25/2013
5/4/2012
1/15/2002
1/08/2007
12/31/1969        
Instrument 1/15/2019 3/17/1999
12/31/1969
2/6/2013
    11/13/73    
Hydrogen Generation Equipment 7/27/1999     10/23/2001      
Vehicle or Lift Truck   7/21/2011         2/8/2011
12/9/2010
Fuel Dispenser   8/2/2004
5/1/2007
6/11/2007
9/19/2007
  2/24/2006
1/22/2009
     
Fuel Cell Stack            

5/3/2004
12/9/2010
2/8/2011

Hydrogen Cooled Generator       12/31/1969
2/7/2009
     
Other (floor drain, lab
anaerobic chamber,
heated glassware,
test chamber,
gaseous hydrogen
composite cylinder,
delivery truck)
  11/14/1994
7/21/2011
7/27/1999
6/28/2010
8/21/2008
12/31/1969
3/22/2018
    6/10/2019
  • = No Ignition
  • = Explosion
  • = Fire