Event
- Event ID
- 696
- Quality
- Description
A hydrogen leak developed on a valve of a liquid hydrogen on the premises of a specialty gases company. Hydrogen vented from near the bottom of the vertical tank with a capacity of 6,000-gallon (1600 kg).
The hydrogen dispersed without igniting, visible through the white cloud of condensing moisture. In the afternoon, the gas also appeared to escape from around the top of the tank.Firefighters evacuated the area, comprising the company building, a neighbouring business and a residence. Nearby streets were closed and the firefighters let the hydrogen venting.
Cryogenic experts intervened by testing the air around the tank and determined it to be safe, after which workers shut off a secondary valve, isolating the leaking valve. A faulty O-ring may have caused the leak.
- 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
- valve (generic)
- Failure mode
- leak, no ignition
- Initiating cause
- material degradation (generic)
- Root CAUSE analysis
The INITIATING CAUSE of the incident was a leaking valve, probably due to a degraded O-ring. ROOT CAUSE is unknown.
- Root causes
- Unknown
- Date entry in HIAD
- 01/01/2020
Facility
- Application
- Chemical industry
- Sub-application
- industrial gases production
- Hydrogen supply chain stage
- All components affected
LH2 stationary tank
- Process temperature range [C]
- cryogenic temperature (below -50°C)
- Location type
- Open
- Location
- industrial area
- Operational condition
- UNKNOWN
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
References
- Sources categories
- News
- Reference & weblink
ISSSource news
https://www.isssource.com/leaking-valve-leaks-hydrogen/
(accessed December 2025)
