Event
- Event ID
- 662
- Quality
- Description
A hydrogen leak occurred in a CO (carbon monoxide) - hydrogen separation cold box of an acetic acid plant.
- 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
- heat exchanger (generic)
- Failure mode
- leak, no ignition
- Initiating cause
- unknown
- Root causes
- Unknown
- Date entry in HIAD
- 01/01/2020
Facility
- Application
- Chemical industry
- Sub-application
- acetic acid plant
- Hydrogen supply chain stage
- All components affected
Separation equipment
- Process temperature range [C]
- cryogenic temperature (below -50°C)
- Location type
- Unknown
- Location
- unknown
- Operational condition
- UNKNOWN
- Description of the facility/unit/process/substances
DESCRIPTION OF THE UNIT
A CO-hydrogen separation cold box is an insulated steel structure that houses cryogenic equipment used to separate carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H2) from a gas mixture based on their different boiling points. It operates at very low temperatures to partially condense and then distill the components, achieving high purity separation of the CO and H2 products.DESCRIPTION OF THE PROCESS
The process adopted in this plant was probably the methanol carbonylation, where methanol and CO reacts in presence of a catalyst.
Emergency & Consequences
- Number of fatalities
- unknown
- Number of injured persons
- unknown
In-depth data
- Release type
- gas
- Involved substances (% vol)
- H2 100%
- Probable IGNITION SOURCE
References
- Sources categories
- Collections
- Reference & weblink
Marsh Rerports 100 LARGEST LOSSES
