Metal hydride materials of a composition which is not well characterized should be handled with procedures that assume a "worst case" for that class of materials, intermediates or precursors.
Laboratory procedures should be in…

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. 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…

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.…

Replace the existing copper and carbon steel hydrogen pipeline with ¾-inch schedule 40 stainless steel.
Reroute the new hydrogen line in the preferred location.
Locate new hydrogen shut-off valves in a more convenient location.…

Recommendation 1 - Overhaul and replace the diaphragms on all cells showing low-purity results. Check on a routine basis the individual cell purity levels to monitor the deterioration of performance of individual cells. Certain contaminants are…

1. Flexible tubing should be secured so it cannot get dislodged during operations.
2. Fume hoods where hydrogen is used should not be made of combustible materials. 3. Preventative maintenance should be performed on equipment on a…

• Metal hydride materials of a composition which is not well characterized should be handled with procedures that assume a "worst case" for that class of materials, intermediates or precursors.
• Laboratory procedures should be in…

Hazard analysis should consider potential leak locations, potential ignition sources in the vicinity, and the potential for accumulating flammable gases in that area.

Users should leak-check all cylinders upon installation. This event…

Facilities should review their process systems to determine if they have valves installed that may be subject to this hazard. If so, facilities should conduct a detailed hazard analysis to determine the risk of valve failure. Detailed internal…

In the future, the laboratory will issue a memorandum about this incident to illustrate the need to wear safety glasses with side shields, store chemicals compatibly, take care when placing chemicals in the refrigerators for storage, and keep the…

Recommended Actions:

• The recommended safe storage time for AHF is two years. Contact the vendor for pick up and disposal for cylinders more than two years old. (Unused gas should also be returned, even if it has been less than two…

In any event, the lesson that should be derived from this incident is the fact that the explosion could have been avoided either by using an inert gas instead of air across the diaphragm, or by monitoring the hydrogen concentration in the upper…

As demonstrated by the fire discussed above, lack of adequate maintenance, system monitoring and oversight of maintenance of these facilities can contribute to the ignition of a fire that is difficult to extinguish and poses an extreme danger to…

This incident illustrates how a hydrogen fire which appears to be 'quite small' can actually be only the visible portion of a much larger fire. Observation alone is not a reliable technique for detecting pure hydrogen fires and/or assessing their…

An important lesson to be derived from this incident is the need to carefully engineer and test all repairs and modifications to high-pressure process equipment.

This incident illustrates the danger of hydrogen being inadvertently released through blown water seals. Similar incidents have occurred in non-nuclear industrial facilities, but offgas systems present a special hazard because of the…

The above described events are an indication of a potential licensee/vendor interface problem. Based on the information received, the vendor was not completely informed via the purchase specifications regarding the service condition to which the…

This incident highlights the need to properly design safety interlocks. These safety interlocks need to be carefully incorporated into the initial building/plant designs and should consider all of the unexpected occurrences, such as the…

These events show the importance of preventing combustible gas mixtures from accumulating in piping. In both of the above described events, hydrogen and oxygen gases apparently accumulated to a combustible level which then catastrophically failed…