Disclaimer: The Lessons Learned Database includes the incidents that were voluntarily submitted. The database is not a comprehensive source for all incidents that have occurred.
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…
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…
The accident proves that under special circumstances, the potential hazard connected with unforeseen microbial gas formation and accumulation should not be neglected. Thus, to avoid new accidents at the paper mill described above, the tower has…
The lesson to pass on is that ventilation is critical in UPS battery rooms. Great care should be taken to ensure that the ventilation system is operational and brings in enough outdoor air to properly ventilate the enclosure.
Electrical…
After the aforementioned incident, a rigid cage was designed to protect the reactor from external conditions, and to protect the contents of the hood and any experimenter from the reactor, in the event of a pressure burst from the reactor cell.…
Although a functional fire protection system would have helped to extinguish the fire, a properly installed hydrogen detection system, coupled with a properly designed ventilation system, could have prevented the incident altogether.
…
Batteries stored on a charger can explode during use if overcharged.
Recommendations
Immediate Corrective Actions
Standard procedures must be followed at all times. The importance of doing so should be frequently reinforced through safety communications to all staff.
Because of the near invisibility of a hydrogen flame in daylight and hydrogen's extremely low ignition coefficient, if a known leak is present (e.g., an audible hissing), ignition should always be presumed. The primary cause of this incident…
The charging characteristics of a battery vary with the condition of the battery and are proportional to the ampere-hour capacity of the battery. During charging, when a battery is close to being fully charged, hydrogen and oxygen both offgas in…
The incident resulted from an inadequate design for the storage location of the copper gas supply tubing (too close to an electrical outlet). The gas supply tubing was too long for its intended purpose and posed a hazard in its coiled state near…
Shutoff valve location and/or redundant shutoff valves at storage vessels are important for containment to prevent escalation.
Consider design features within equipment skids to reduce the likelihood of cascading events.
Pressure-switch…
Key:
We are the leaders in the building industries and factories. We're word wide. We never give up on the challenges.
