Release from a hydrogen compressor in a refinery

Event

Event ID: 329
Quality: 2
Description: A temperature probe on a hydrogen make up gas compressor blew out from its compression fitting. This resulted in a release of hydrogen. The incident occurred due to a fatigue failure of the compression fitting.
The plant was shut down immediately, preventing any further release of hydrogen.
Vibration, manufacture and installation were all being considered as possible reasons for the failure. There were 20 such probes on the plant and these have all been removed until the cause of the failure could be established.
Event Initiating system: Hydrogen system initiating event
Classification of the physical effects: Unignited Hydrogen Release
Nature of the consequences: leak no ignition
Macro-region: Europe
Country: United Kingdom
Date: 16/09/1999
Component involved: joint/connection (generic)
Failure mode: rupture, no ignition
Initiating cause: material degradation (fatigue)
Root CAUSE analysis: The INITIATING/direct cause was a loss of confinement due to the failure of a temperature probe, possibly due to vibrations.
Contributing causes were possibly manufacturing and installation shortcomings.
Root causes: Material/ manufacturing error
Installation error
Date entry in HIAD: 28/02/2009

Application: Chemical industry
Sub-application: unspecified chemical process
Hydrogen supply chain stage: Hydrogen compression
All components affected: compression fitting,
temperature gauge,
H2 compressor
Location type: Unknown
Location: industrial area
Operational condition: NORMAL

Number of fatalities: 0
Number of injured persons: 0
Investigation comments: An investigation was performed to determine what may have caused the failure. Until conclusions are drawn 20 similar probes on site have been removed from service.
Emergency action: Plant was shut down immediately, preventing any further release of hydrogen.

Sources categories: HSE
Reference & weblink: Event description provided by HSE, original source confidential