Event
- Event ID
- 358
- Quality
- Description
During the transit of 10 000 gallons (ca. 39000 l) LH2 transport vessel, the venting rate became extremely high . The annular vacuum appeared to be lost showing large patches of condensed water at the lower half of the outer vessel shell. It was necessary to stop many times to manually vent. In addition, a number of times the safety valve with an opening pressure of 55 psig (ca. 3.8 bar) was relieved. The tanker had only 3000 gallons (ca. 11400 l) remaining which was transferred to the storage tank. Crack was found in the lowest portion of the carbon steel jacket.
- 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 (valve)
- Failure mode
- correct activation & venting
- Initiating cause
- over-pressurisation (thermal insulation degradation)
- Root CAUSE analysis
INITIATING CAUSE
The outer jacket of the cryo-vessel cracked due to the presence of solid first, then liquid air at the bottom of the outer jacket. Air entered vacuum space during to cryo-pumping of liquid hydrogen. This air remained as a solid until the liquid hydrogen transfer was completed, after which, it melted. The crack was most likely caused by the thawing of solid air.
ROOT CAUSE or CONTRIBUTING CAUSE
The report does not provide any explanation why the vacuum failed during transport. Did the jacked crack during the journey? For which reason? Is this a design shortcoming?- 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
Out jacket of the vacum insulation
- 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
- Property loss (onsite)
- 27.000
- Post-event summary
A loss of approximatly 1800 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)
- 800
- Release pressure [MPa]
- <0.38
- Probable IGNITION SOURCE
References
- Sources categories
- ORDIN
- Reference & weblink
Mishap no 6 in
P. L. Ordin, Review of hydrogen accidents and incidents in NASA operations, 1974, NASA TM X-71565
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19740020344