During a refueling event, the operator activated the fueling lever in the wrong sequence. The vehicle filled to proper pressure, but filled faster than normal. Under different circumstances, this could have resulted in overheating of the receiving fuel tank.
A fire began in the compression skid for a high-pressure hydrogen fueling station. The initial source of fire was likely a release of hydrogen from a failed weld on a pressure switch. The initial fire cascaded to three stainless steel line failures, release of glycol coolant, and release/combustion of compressor oil. Non-metallic seals and hoses containing hydraulic fluid and coolant melted/burned and caused leakage of the fluid, which was mostly consumed by the fire. The local fire department responded and contained the situation by shutting off the power supply and spraying water on nearby equipment. The compressor skid was a loss and the fire caused moderate damage to surrounding equipment.
Hydrogen leaked from a 9,000-gallon horizontal liquid hydrogen tank in the rear of a high-intensity lamp manufacturing facility. The facility manager noticed the leak during his normal morning rounds and initiated the plant's emergency response policy, which included calling the local fire department. A large vapor plume (actually condensed moisture in the air) was visible 200 feet above the tank. The technician for the hydrogen supplier arrived on site, thawed out the ice buildup around the gland nut from which the leak originated using warm water, and tightened the nut, thus ending the problem. The technician verified that the leak originated from packing material around the valve that had come loose because of the recent extreme cold weather.
The fire department view more
A hose clamp failed on a low-pressure vent line from a hydrogen reactor experiment and effluent was leaked into the laboratory. Unburnt hydrogen in the effluent stream triggered the low-level hydrogen alarm. The hose clamp was resecured and other hose clamps were checked for proper tightness.
The contractor was replacing a needle valve and a check valve on the nitrogen purge line to the dispenser because of a small leak at the connection between the needle valve and the check valve. On reinstalling the valves, the contractor installed the check valve backwards, causing the pressure disk in the regulator to fail, venting about 1000 psig hydrogen into the air for about 10 seconds. This was found during testing of the contractor's work before the system was returned to normal service.
The System Shutdown logic activated and the compressor automatically shut down on high vibration. When the operator investigated the unplanned shutdown, two broken compressor head fasteners were noted lying on the deck.
Hydrogen was found to be leaking from a vent line during cryogenic loading operations. The leak was attributed to a cracked weld on a hydrogen vent line that consisted of (1) double wall aluminum piping and (2) slotted spacers between the inner and outer line to provide a hydrogen gas blanket for insulation. The weld that failed was repaired using a "clamshell" over the area of the failed weld in order to support continued operations. A portion of the failed weld was removed for analysis prior to the repair. After operations, the clamshell repair was excised from the non-vacuum-jacketed double wall piping to allow further analysis of the failed weld. It was later replaced with a new half shell piping section.
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