Event
- Event ID
- 503
- Quality
- Description
The incident occurred at the hydrogen coolant system of the power generator. The control panel door for the 32 hydrogen dryer blew off due to a small hydrogen explosion. No one was injured in the event, which occurred in the non-nuclear side of the plant in the main turbine building. Plant operations was not impacted by the explosion, and the licensee intends to replace both hydrogen dryer units.
Source: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, One White Flint North, Rockville, Maryland, Tuesday, June 25, 1996, http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/commission/tr/1996/
- 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
- hydrogen dryers
- Failure mode
- internal explosion
- Initiating cause
- unknown
- Root causes
- Unknown
- Date entry in HIAD
- 01/01/2017
Facility
- Application
- Power plant
- Sub-application
- Nuclear power plant
- Hydrogen supply chain stage
- All components affected
hydrogen dryers, non-nuclear area
- Location type
- Unknown
- Location
- industrial area
- Operational condition
- Description of the facility/unit/process/substances
DESCRIPTION OF THE COMPONENT
The hydrogen dryers are part of the hydrogen loop providing the coolant to the generator of the turbine-generator system. Their purpose is to maintain the purity and dryness of the hydrogen gas which serves as the cooling medium for the large turbine generators, not the reactor itself. They prevent moisture-related damage and improve the generator's efficiency and safety.
Emergency & Consequences
- Number of fatalities
- 0
- Number of injured persons
- 0
In-depth data
- Release type
- gas
- Involved substances (% vol)
- H2 100%
- Probable IGNITION SOURCE
- Explosion type
References
- Sources categories
- NRC
- Reference & weblink
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, briefing on operating reactors, 25
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/commission/tr/1996/
(accessed aug 2023)
