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Clean Hydrogen Partnership

Explosion in a chlorine production plant

Event

Event ID
473
Quality
Description

A hydrogen and air mixture formed during shutdown of a sodium chloride electrolysis system, due to back-filling of the feed lines. The mixture ignited and exposed.

Event Initiating system
Classification of the physical effects
Hydrogen Release and Ignition
Nature of the consequences
Macro-region
North America
Country
United States
Date
Component involved
electrolytic cell
Failure mode
internal explosion
Initiating cause
wrong operation
Root causes
Unknown
Date entry in HIAD
28/01/2026

Facility

Application
Chemical industry
Sub-application
chlorine production
Hydrogen supply chain stage
All components affected

elextrolytic cell, feed lines

Process temperature range [C]
Above ambient temperature (50°C to 100°C)
Location type
Confined
Location
unknown
Operational condition

Emergency & Consequences

Number of fatalities
0
Number of injured persons
0
Currency
US$
Property loss (onsite)
195.000

In-depth data

Release type
gas
Involved substances (% vol)
H2 100%
Release temperature [°C]
25
Probable IGNITION SOURCE
Explosion type

References

Sources categories
Zalosh
Reference & weblink

Table II - Industrial Incidents of Appendix A of Zalosh and Short
COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF HYDROGEN FIRE AND EXPLOSION INCIDENTS
Quarterly Report No. 2 for Period December 1, 1977 - February 28, 1978
https://www.osti.gov/biblio/6566131
(accessed September 2020)