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Clean Hydrogen Partnership

Hydrogen release in a refinery.

Event

Event ID
89
Quality
Description

A leak occurred on a valve of a high pressure hydrogen storage tank, ina refinery. No explosion or fire occurred. The storage cylinder had to be depressurised from 140 bars to 0.

Event Initiating system
Classification of the physical effects
Unignited Hydrogen Release
Nature of the consequences
leak no ignition
Macro-region
North America
Country
United States
Date
Component involved
valve (generic)
Failure mode
leak, no ignition
Initiating cause
unknown
Root causes
Unknown
Date entry in HIAD
28/02/2009

Facility

Application
Petrochemical industry
Sub-application
Unspecified refinery process
Hydrogen supply chain stage
All components affected

tank

Location type
Open
Location
industrial area
Operational condition

Emergency & Consequences

Number of fatalities
0
Number of injured persons
0
Post-event summary

No damage to property as the relief pipe was installed in accordance with internal standards. Also, hydrogen combustion occurred outisde the vent stack, no naffecting any component.

Emergency action

The police stopped circulation on the roads around the site, till the intervention of the site crews assisted by the fire brigades depressurised the tank. An evacuation was not necessary .

In-depth data

Release type
gas
Involved substances (% vol)
H2 100%
Probable IGNITION SOURCE

References

Sources categories
ARIA
Reference & weblink

Event no. 32936 of the French database ARIA
https://www.aria.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/accident/31936/
(accessed December 2020)