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Clean Hydrogen Partnership

Explosion at a speciality gas production plant

Event

Event ID
619
Quality
Description

The plant was producing hydrogen, oxygen nitrogen and argon. An explosion occurred when the hydrogen line of a water electrolyser leaked in the building.

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
pipe (generic)
Failure mode
leak
Initiating cause
unknown
Root causes
Date entry in HIAD
28/01/2026

Facility

Application
Industrial gases production
Sub-application
hydrogen production unit
Hydrogen supply chain stage
All components affected

water electrolyser (generic)

Process temperature range [C]
ambient temperature (-50°C to +50°C)
Process pressure range [MPa]
unknown
Location type
Confined
Location
unknown
Operational condition

Emergency & Consequences

Number of fatalities
0
Number of injured persons
0
Currency
US$
Property loss (onsite)
15.000

In-depth data

Probable IGNITION SOURCE
Explosion type

References

Sources categories
Zalosh
Reference & weblink

Table II - Industrial Incidetns of Appendix A of Zalosh and Short

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF HYDROGEN FIRE AND EXPLOSION INCIDENTS

Quarterly Report No. 2 for Period December 1, 1977 - February 28, 1978

https://www.osti.gov/biblio/6566131

(accessed September 2020)