Event
- Event ID
- 342
- Quality
- Description
A hydrogen leak alarm was received in the control room from the reformer of the hydrogen plant of a chemicals manufacturing facility. The reformed was depressurised and the leak stopped.
The leak was reported to the duty officer and nitrogen flushing was started in the reformer.
The leak, a 15 mm rupture at the bottom of the tank, was located in a couple of hours. From measurements performed after the nitrogen flushing, hydrogen was still found to be present in the tank, apparently having been left in the catalysts and inside the pocket on the upper section of the tank. The top flange of the tank was opened and nitrogen flushing was continued from below with a hose.- Event Initiating system
- Classification of the physical effects
- Unignited Hydrogen Release
- Nature of the consequences
- leak no ignition
- Macro-region
- Europe
- Country
- Finland
- Date
- Component involved
- reactor / oven / furnace / test chamber
- Failure mode
- rupture, no ignition
- Initiating cause
- unknown
- Root causes
- Unknown
- Date entry in HIAD
- 28/02/2009
Facility
- Application
- Chemical industry
- Sub-application
- Pharmaceutical production
- Hydrogen supply chain stage
- All components affected
steam methane reformer, catalysist
- Location type
- Unknown
- Location
- industrial area
- Operational condition
Emergency & Consequences
- Number of fatalities
- 0
- Number of injured persons
- 0
- Emergency action
Upon hydroendetection, the reformer tank was depressurised.
In-depth data
- Release type
- Gas mixture
- Involved substances (% vol)
- H2,
fluor - Probable IGNITION SOURCE
References
- Sources categories
- HSE
- Reference & weblink
HSE reporting a confidential report
