After this accident, a safety inspection team was organized. An investigation of this incident and an inspection of all other experimental equipment was conducted by the team. As a result of this inspection, the heaters are now hard-wired to the…

The mechanisms and rates by which hydrogen gas is generated and subsequently accumulated in the holding tank need to be fully understood by vendors and employees alike. Active venting, warning signs, and local alarms designed to activate when…

The hydrogen facility does not meet industrial guidelines for facilities of this type, from the standpoint of (1) the separation distance needed between a hydrogen pipe break and the building ventilation intake to prevent buildup of a flammable…

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…

Work pre-planning is essential whenever maintenance or work activities may have an adverse impact on everyday operations. When there are changes to the operational status of any critical system, especially a safety critical system, those changes…

Hazard assessment is critical during the design, fabrication, and installation of system modifications to ensure hazards and potential hazards are addressed prior to system start-up and operation.

This occurrence underscores the importance of appropriate design, equipment selection, and design review; the potential drawbacks of sharing utilities with other facilities; and the need to simplify [in this case, glove box atmosphere…

1. There should have been greater awareness during the design and installation of the burn box regarding the static pressure limitations of the exhaust fan in relation to the anticipated static pressure buildup across the HEPA filter.
…

The risk of a serious fire occurring inside the chemistry laboratory hood from use of hydrogen gas and/or presence of a small quantity of hydrazine-hydrate was underestimated. Additional control measures were required to reduce the risk of fire…

1. 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.…

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.…

This incident emphasizes the need for proper gas detection and ventilation systems, as well as fire suppression systems, in laboratories using and storing hydrogen. This is especially true when open flame burners are in close proximity.…

The use of inerting gas or other means of separation should be employed when conducting mechanical work where hydrogen gas could be present. More importantly, per CGA S1.3, the vessel should be equipped with a dual relief system that can isolate…

First, it appears that the system may not have been vented properly. CGA G-5.5 should be used for determining safe locations based on the variables of the specific setup. Also, if the compressor was tied to a storage system, a backflow prevention…

The tube was 403 stainless steel, which is subject to hydrogen embrittlement. It is requested that all gauges that have bourdon tubes be replaced with 303 stainless steel.

A web-based resource developed by Sandia National Laboratories to…

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…

1. The dilution water for making a polythionic acid aqueous solution was changed from industrial water to pure water to lower the chlorine concentration in the piping.
2. Water that accumulated in the drain was removed before heating…

Safe work procedures will be prepared and followed. Hydrogen will be vented out of the system to create an inert atmosphere before working on system tubing and joints. The importance of purging hydrogen piping and equipment is discussed in the…

Mounting hardware incorporated polymeric braces not suitable for long-term exposure to sunlight and temperature extremes. With time, the polymeric materials had disintegrated, allowing the mounting brackets to become loose. In addition, the…