Event
- Event ID
- 108
- Quality
- Description
This event involved a water electrolyser system of a subcontractor, in a plant producing metallic wire. During the night, its malfunctioning caused a fire. The production was stopped for 17 hours.
- Event Initiating system
- Classification of the physical effects
- Hydrogen Release and Ignition
- Nature of the consequences
- fire
- Macro-region
- Europe
- Country
- France
- Date
- Component involved
- electrolytic cell
- Failure mode
- fire (generic)
- Initiating cause
- unknown
- Root CAUSE analysis
The INITIATING CAUSE was a fire was due to a malfunctioning of the electrolyser.
- Root causes
- Date entry in HIAD
- 28/02/2009
Facility
- Application
- Steel and metals industry
- Sub-application
- generic metal processing
- Hydrogen supply chain stage
- Process temperature range [C]
- unknown
- Process pressure range [MPa]
- unknown
- Location type
- Confined
- Location
- industrial area
- Operational condition
Emergency & Consequences
- Number of fatalities
- 0
- Number of injured persons
- 0
- Post-event summary
The electrolyser experienced an emergency shut-down and the factory production was stopped for 17 hours.
- Official legal action
Restarting of installations was authorised only after the submission of a report proposing technical/organisational improvement to avoid such incident.
Lesson Learnt
- Corrective Measures
A report investigating the circumstances of the accident and proposing technical/organizational modifications aiming at reducing the probability of its renewal was produced. Unfortunately, the report has not been made public.
In-depth data
- Release type
- gas
- Involved substances (% vol)
- H2 100%
- Probable IGNITION SOURCE
- Flame type
References
- Sources categories
- ARIA
- Reference & weblink
Event no. 28737 of the French database ARIA https://www.aria.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/accident/28737/ (accessed December 2020)
