A gas mixture cylinder was connected to a Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectrometer to purge residual carbon dioxide and water vapor. A staff member was preparing to use the FTIR instrument. Prior to use of the instrument, it must be purged with dry nitrogen to remove residual carbon dioxide and water vapor. When the gas mixture reached the instrument's globar (resistively heated ceramic) heat source, a localized explosion occurred. No injuries resulted from the explosion but the spectrometer housing was heavily damaged. The internal components, including the optics and computer hardware, appeared to be in good shape.

A mixture of hydrogen and nitrogen was inadvertently connected for the purging rather than dry nitrogen. The staff member, even though an expert in the view more

A significant hydrogen leak occurred during refueling of the onboard hydrogen storage tank of a fuel cell-powered lift truck while it was completely depowered. The in-tank shutoff solenoid valve had recently been replaced, and this was the initial refueling event after the replacement. The fuel zone access panel was removed to allow constant visual leak checking with Snoop leak-detection fluid. The event occurred during the final pressure testing of the repaired system when an O-ring failed at approximately 4500 psi, releasing the entire contents of the hydrogen tank in about 10 minutes. The dispenser hose/nozzle was immediately disconnected, and the leak location was quickly isolated to the tank/valve interface. A 30-foot boundary around the lift truck was cleared of personnel and view more

A fuel cell forklift operator stated that he observed a "ball of fire" coming from the left side of the forklift that seemed to flash and extinguish. Investigators found no external signs of a fire, but the forklift would not start. The fuel cell power pack access panel was removed to enable investigators to search for any internal signs of a fire. Some areas inside the fuel cell stack appeared to have experienced an electrical arc or some type of overheating. All connections were verified to be tight and secure. The internal fuel cell stack circuit board cover was then removed, and the circuit card on top of the stack also showed signs of overheating. After the fuel cell stack circuit board was removed, a broken drill bit was discovered on top of the fuel cell stack plates. view more

The evaporator pad in a fuel cell power unit installed in a hydrogen-powered forklift caught fire during operation. The evaporator pad is used for wicking the product water created by the fuel cell. The operator dismounted the forklift, observed flames coming from the fuel cell unit, and called for help. The facility fire brigade used a fire extinguisher to put out the fire. The upper left corner of the fuel cell evaporator pad was burned entirely; the plastic bracket that holds the evaporator pad in place was distorted; there was some discoloration of the radiator. No injuries were sustained by the operator and no damage was sustained by the forklift.

The fuel cell unit continued to run during the incident, as did the onboard data acquisition device. Hydrogen concentrations view more

The incident occurred in the catalytic hydrotreatment plant of an oil refinery. The plant, which began operations in September 1997, has a capacity of 1650 tons/day of light fuel oil and 1450 tons/day of heavy fuel oil. The plant was designed to desulfurize the light and heavy fuel oil fractions produced in the refinery by treating them with high-pressure hydrogen over a catalyst to remove sulfur (producing hydrogen sulfide as a byproduct). The plant has two heating/reaction/fractionating sections to treat the two fuel oil fractions, but a single gas purification and compression section for the recycled hydrogen gas.

The heavy fuel oil reactor feedstock from the vacuum distillation plant is sent to the heavy fuel oil treatment section through three pipelines equipped with flow view more

Hydrogen alarms went off in a research laboratory and the fire department was called, but no hydrogen leak was detected. The hydrogen system was leak-checked with helium and found to be leak-free except for a very small leak in the manifold area. The manifold leak was fixed, but because of its small size, it was not thought to be the likely source for the hydrogen alarm trigger. While hydrogen was removed from the system for leak-testing, the hydrogen alarm went off again, and again the fire department responded. There was no hydrogen present in the system to trigger this alarm. Other sources within the building were checked to see what may have set off the alarm, but none were found. One research area uses small amounts of hydrogen, but laboratory logs indicate that none was being view more

During an external review of the facility safety basis document, it was identified that the accident analysis for the pool cell area hydrogen explosion did not account for release of stored hydrogen from the pool cell water as the temperature of the water increases. The analysis only accounted for the hydrogen generated by radiolysis. A loss of pool cell cooling occurring concurrently with a loss of ventilation would result in a higher concentration of hydrogen in the pool cell area than calculated in the safety basis. The safety basis document is being revised to account for the increase in hydrogen concentration.

First responders were dispatched to the waterfront area to investigate a possible explosion on an 85-foot dinner cruise boat that was moored there. Upon arrival, the incident commander noted that nothing out of the ordinary was visible on the exterior of the boat. A crew was sent to the interior of the boat to investigate. The boat was powered by diesel engines and there were no compressed gas cylinders on board.

After further investigation, it became apparent that the explosion had come from the battery compartment in the hull of the boat. The responders concluded that one of the batteries had been giving off hydrogen gas, which gradually built up inside the compartment. Since the compartment was not vented, the gas had nowhere to go. It found an ignition source (possibly a view more

Overview: A hydrogen leak and explosion occurred due to the installation of an incorrectly sized gasket at the suction line of a hydrogen compressor in a refinery hydrodesulfurization plant. The incorrectly sized gasket was mounted during the startup of the plant in 2001 and had never being inspected nor replaced.

Incident synopsis: The operating conditions were stable when the operator received an alarm indicating pressure loss in the circuit. He immediately instructed his field personnel to inspect the area. The hydrogen leak was confined inside the compressor room because the walls and roof were not provided with ventilation devices. An explosion occurred, causing two fatalities and the destruction of the compressor room and some of the surrounding area.

Spent platinum catalyst is recovered from corrugated stainless steel by chemical stripping and recovery. The process is completed by placing the material in lined tanks filled with hydrochloric acid (HCl). Approximately 500 pounds of corrugated stainless steel with platinum coating was inserted into a HCl leaching bath. Prior to starting the process, the supervisor tested the material for reactivity for a period of one hour, and the material showed very little reactivity. Operators began setting up three 500-gallon tanks, each containing the corrugated material. The material was covered with water and 4-5 inches of HCl was then added to the tank. When all three tanks were set up and there was only minimal reactivity observed (occasional bubbles), the operators left the area.

An view more