Event
- Event ID
- 355
- Quality
- Description
A continuous venting of hydrogen from a LH2 tanker occurred during highway transportation. Trailer delivered at test site and vacuum pressure checked to be less than 1 micron. The tank pressure was 50 psig (ca. 3.5 bar). Attempts were made to stop the venting by thawing the manual vent valve; also, the burst disc was nearly frosted.
Eventually, the LH2 was transferred and the external piping warmed with water. The rupture disc was replaced.
The loss was about 3886 gallons (ca 14710 l = ca. 1 t of hydrogen).- 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
- PRD (burst disc)
- Failure mode
- premature activation & venting
- Initiating cause
- material degradation (generic)
- Root CAUSE analysis
The rupture disc had a number of holes but was not completely blown out. The leak probably existed throughout the entire trip.
- Root causes
- Date entry in HIAD
- 16/11/2024
Facility
- Application
- Hydrogen transport and distribution
- Sub-application
- LH2 tanker
- Hydrogen supply chain stage
- All components affected
burst disc
- Process temperature range [C]
- cryogenic temperature (below -50°C)
- Process pressure range [MPa]
- low to medium pressure (below 2 MPa)
- Location type
- Open
- Location
- highway or similar
- Operational condition
Emergency & Consequences
- Number of fatalities
- 0
- Number of injured persons
- 0
- Currency
- US$
- Property loss (onsite)
- 15.000
- Post-event summary
A loss of 1000 kg of hydrogen. Assuming a cost of hydrogen of 12 to 15 US$, an order of magnitude of the propoerty total loss could be estimated.
In-depth data
- Release type
- gas
- Involved substances (% vol)
- H2 100%
- Released amount (kg)
- 1000
- Release pressure [MPa]
- 0.35
- Probable IGNITION SOURCE
References
- Sources categories
- ORDIN
- Reference & weblink
Mishap no 3 in
P. L. Ordin, Review of hydrogen accidents and incidents in NASA operations, 1974, NASA TM X-71565
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19740020344
