Fire from a hydrogen pipe in a chemical plant

Event

Event ID: 854
Quality: 2
Description: Two employees were performing works on hydrogen piping in the chlorate production unit of a chemical plant when an ignited leak of H2 occurred.
The operator initiated the emergency plan and stopped the workshop activity while the operational team managed the leak in a short time (a couple of minutes).
There was no victim, no damage to the environment.
Event Initiating system: Hydrogen system initiating event
Classification of the physical effects: Hydrogen Release and Ignition
Nature of the consequences: fire
Macro-region: Europe
Country: France
Date: 02/05/2011
Component involved: pipe (generic)
Failure mode: rupture & ignition
Initiating cause: unknown
Root CAUSE analysis: INITIATING CAUSE was works performed on the hydrogen piping.
Nothing can be said on the ROOT CAUSE.
Root causes: Unknown
Date entry in HIAD: 01/01/2020

Application: Chemical industry
Sub-application: Chlorate production
Hydrogen supply chain stage: hydrogen as by-product
All components affected: hydrogen piping
Location type: Open
Location: industrial area
Operational condition: REPAIR
Pre-event occurrences: Works were ongoing on the hydrogen pipeline
Description of the facility/unit/process/substances: DESCRIPTION OF THE PROCESS
Sodium chlorate is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula NaClO3.
Sodium chlorate is produced industrially by electrolysis of concentrated sodium chloride solutions:
NaCl + 3 H2O → NaClO3 + 3 H2
Sodium chlorate is used, for example, as a bleaching medium or as a non-selective herbicide.

Number of fatalities: 0
Number of injured persons: 0
Post-event summary: There was no victim, no damage to the environment.
Official legal action: A press release was distributed.
Emergency action: The operator initiated the emergency plan and stopped the workshop while the operations team managed the leak in a short time (a couple of minutes). A press release was distributed.