Lessons Learned

DESCRIPTION: On a Friday afternoon in 2007 a traffic accident occurred at the corner of two urban streets. Two vehicles were involved. Each vehicle contained a single driver (no passengers). Vehicle 1 was a Fuel Cell Vehicle. Vehicle 2 was a conventional Toyota Camry. Vehicle 1 was traveling west, approaching an intersection with a green light, and proceeded into the intersection. Vehicle 2 was traveling north on a cross street. The driver of Vehicle 2 incorrectly perceived a green light and proceeded into the intersection. The vehicles collided in the intersection.

RESPONSE: The police were coincidentally in the area and able to respond quickly to the site. The vehicles were moved out of the intersection. Vehicle 1 (fuel cell vehicle) shut down upon impact and was pushed out of view more

A five-pound CO2 cylinder being stored in a compressed gas storage cage at a power plant failed catastrophically and became a missile. The cylinder destroyed the storage cage, then struck one of six stationary hydrogen storage cylinders used as emergency make-up for the hydrogen supply system. One of the hydrogen cylinders was broken away from its mounts and moved 10 feet from its original location. The loss of this cylinder severed the manifold tubing, creating a leak path to the atmosphere for the remaining five hydrogen cylinders. The leaking hydrogen gas apparently self-ignited, engulfing the immediate area. The site fire brigade responded and used hose lines from a distance to provide cooling until the hydrogen supply was consumed. The fire was out within seven minutes, and no off view more

A sidewall burst failure of a high-pressure polytetrafluoroethylene-lined hose was experienced. The 4.0-m hose was in service for approximately two years, primarily for 70 MPa fueling of hydrogen at ambient conditions ranging from -40 C to +50 C. The total number of fills during its service life was estimated to be 150. In addition to the high-volume fill events, pressure cycling occurred as part of the routine test procedures and operational protocols. These additional pressure-cycling occurrences were approximated to be 200-250 cycles. During each filling cycle, the hose was allowed to bend during connections, as required by the situation. Failure of the hose occurred while temporarily connected to a gas booster, after 1-2 hours of service at 75 MPa. There were no tight bends in the view more

A hydrogenation experiment was being performed under 60 atm hydrogen, inside a high-pressure reactor cell. The experiment was conducted inside a fume hood and left overnight. The hood caught fire during the night, resulting in fire damage to the fixture, hood, and exhaust duct, as well as water damage to much of the building. Based on the local fire department investigation, the fire started from faulty electrical wiring that was used to provide power for reactor cell heating. The electrical fire ignited solvent that was in a dispensing bottle inside the hood, which subsequently overheated the reactor cell, rupturing the seals. The rupture released hydrogen from the cell and attached supply tank, further fueling the fire. Nobody was injured in the incident, and damages were limited. It view more

The over-pressurization of a laboratory ball mill reactor designed for operation under slightly elevated pressures resulted in a serious injury. The apparatus had been routinely operated under argon and hydrogen pressures of 5-10 atmospheres for nearly two years. The apparatus had not been tested for operation at pressures greater than 10 atm.

A visiting intern, frustrated in attempts to hydrogenate magnesium silicide through ball milling in the previously noted pressure range, attempted to perform the operation at higher pressures. The approximately 70-ml reactor was loaded in a glove box with 0.5 g of magnesium silicide and six milling balls. Upon pressurization to 80 atmospheres, a 270-degree rupture occurred around the perimeter of the reactor. The blow-out of the reactor view more

A single-stage diaphragm compressor failed during boosting of high-pressure hydrogen ground storage banks. The compressor sources hydrogen from a 44 MPa storage bank as suction and discharges it at a stop set point of 85 MPa. The compressor capacity is 0.71 m3/min (25 scfm).

The original notice of failure was through an inter-diaphragm pressure indication and alarm. There should not be any pressure build-up between the layers of the diaphragm. Upon opening, hydraulic oil was found, leading to the assumption that the hydraulic-side diaphragm was leaking. Although spare diaphragms and seals were available for on-site repair, difficulty was encountered in attempting to remove the compressor nut above the diaphragms. Similar difficulties were encountered when the unit was returned view more

Two fitting failures were experienced for fueling equipment filling systems. Both fittings were installed in the system thermal chamber experiencing ambient temperatures of -40C to +50C. They were connected in high-pressure lines used for 70MPa hydrogen fueling.

The first fitting, a 0.25-inch NPT hose connection, was in service for approximately one year with no signs of leakage. The failure was noticed when the system was pressurized during a filling sequence. The failure was discovered by an audible hissing noise during leak checking. The system was depressurized and the fitting removed and replaced. The system was re-pressurized with no further leakage.

When attempting to reconnect a second fitting, a double-ferrule high-pressure connection, the fitting in question view more

The subject needle valve was used primarily for manual filling to control the flow rate of hydrogen from storage banks to the 70MPa test system. The valve was installed on the exterior of the thermal chamber in ambient temperatures of -5C to +30C. The gas flowing through the valve was at conditioned temperatures of -40C to +50C. The valve was in service for approximately two years and 400 fill operations.

Failure occurred during a test under an open valve condition. When attempting to close the valve, the turning force increased and the technician was unable to completely close the valve. An upstream ball valve was closed to isolate the flow.

An explosion at a coal-fired power plant killed one person and injured 10 others. The blast killed the delivery truck driver who was unloading compressed hydrogen gas, which is used to cool the plant's steam generators. Hydrogen deliveries are routine at the plant, occurring about once a week. Evidence pointed to the premature failure of a pressure-relief device (PRD) rupture disk, which had been repaired by the vendor six months prior to the explosion.

Hydrogen and chlorine concentrations at a certain plant are measured once each shift. On the morning of the explosion, the hydrogen concentration in the chlorine header leaving the cell bank was 0.47 percent. After passing through the chlorine coolers and liquid/gas separators, the hydrogen concentration of the gas streams increased to 2.5-3.2 percent H2, i.e., 63-80 percent of the lower flammability limit.

About 5 hours after the measurements were made, the DC power to the electrolysis cell bank was shut down because of intermittent power supply problems. At that time, a low-order explosion was heard from the chlorine dryer area of the plant. Thirty seconds later, chlorine gas began escaping from the chlorine header pumps, and another explosion occurred in the electrolysis cell view more