Event
- Event ID
- 708
- Quality
- Description
Hydrogen was released from a diesel desulfurization unit, producing a 50-meter-long horizontal torch flame upon ignition. The unit was operating normally.
Refinery firefighters responded quickly and managed to stop the hydrogen supply to the flame before a more serious accident could develop.
Material damage was minimal considering the risk involved.- Event Initiating system
- Classification of the physical effects
- Hydrogen Release and Ignition
- Nature of the consequences
- Macro-region
- Europe
- Country
- Italy
- Date
- Component involved
- unknown
- Failure mode
- unknown
- Initiating cause
- unknown
- Root CAUSE analysis
INITIATING and ROOT CAUSES unknown
- Root causes
- Unknown
- Date entry in HIAD
- 01/01/2020
Facility
- Application
- Petrochemical industry
- Sub-application
- Hydrodesulphurisation process
- Hydrogen supply chain stage
- All components affected
de-sulphurisation reactor
- Process temperature range [C]
- High temperature (100°C to 500°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
- Explosion type
- Flame type
References
- Sources categories
- ARIA
- Reference & weblink
Event 88 of the French database ARIA
https://www.aria.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/accident/88/
(Accesed January 2026)