Event
- Event ID
- 188
- Quality
- Description
The explosion occurred in a plant for the production of butter. It was due to the rupture of a hydrogen tank, during a sterilisation process at high temperature (so-called UHT treatment).
Two fatalities and 12 injuries.
The explosion blew away the roof of the unit and severely damaged the other installation.- Event Initiating system
- Classification of the physical effects
- Hydrogen Release and Ignition
- Nature of the consequences
- Macro-region
- Asia
- Country
- Pakistan
- Date
- Component involved
- CGH2 tank (stationary)
- Failure mode
- rupture & ignition
- Initiating cause
- unknown
- Root CAUSE analysis
The INITIATING cause is due to the rupture of a hydrogen cylinder during UHT sterilisation process.
- Root causes
- Unknown
- Date entry in HIAD
- 01/01/2021
Facility
- Application
- Chemical industry
- Sub-application
- Food production
- Hydrogen supply chain stage
- All components affected
Manufacturing of butter, UHT sterilisation treatment
- Process temperature range [C]
- ambient temperature (-50°C to +50°C)
- Location type
- Confined
- Location
- industrial area
- Operational condition
- Pre-event occurrences
The UHT treatment consists in the exposure for a very short time (few seconds) to temperature of approximately 135 -150˚C.
Emergency & Consequences
- Number of fatalities
- 2
- Number of injured persons
- 12
- Post-event summary
Two persons died and 12 injured (among which 6 workers). The explosion has blown away the roof of the unit and severely damaged the other installation.
- Emergency action
The unit was shutdown and the firefighters extinguished the in half-hour.
The other 3 untis continued at nominal power.
In-depth data
- Release type
- gas
- Involved substances (% vol)
- H2 100%
- Release temperature [°C]
- 25
- Probable IGNITION SOURCE
- Explosion type
References
- Sources categories
- ARIA
- Reference & weblink
Original event in ARIA (https://www.aria.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/accident/23739/)
