Event
- Event ID
- 831
- Quality
- Description
A fire occurred on a valve of a hydrodesulphurisation unit in a refinery. The failed gland was modified and fire extinguishers by steams were installed permanently .
- Event Initiating system
- Classification of the physical effects
- Hydrogen Release and Ignition
- Nature of the consequences
- fire
- Macro-region
- Europe
- Country
- France
- Date
- Component involved
- valve (gland)
- Failure mode
- rupture & ignition
- Initiating cause
- material degradation (generic)
- Root CAUSE analysis
The reason for the failure of he joint is not provided. The fact however that fire fighting equipment was installed after the event suggests some shortcoming in the risk mitigating measures of the unit.
- Root causes
- Date entry in HIAD
- 01/01/2020
Facility
- Application
- Petrochemical industry
- Sub-application
- Hydrodesulphurisation process
- Hydrogen supply chain stage
- All components affected
a valve of a hydrodesulfurization unit
- Process pressure range [MPa]
- medium to high pressure (10 to 50 MPa)
- Location type
- Open
- Location
- industrial area
- Operational condition
- UNKNOWN
- Description of the facility/unit/process/substances
ADESCRIPTION OF THE FAILED JOINT
"A stuffing box or gland package is an assembly which is used to house a gland seal.[1] It is used to prevent leakage of fluid, such as water or steam, between sliding or turning parts of machine elements."
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuffing_box]
Emergency & Consequences
- Number of fatalities
- 0
- Number of injured persons
- 0
Lesson Learnt
- Corrective Measures
Steams fire extinguishers were installed permanently .
In-depth data
- Release type
- gas mixture
- Involved substances (% vol)
- unknown
- Probable IGNITION SOURCE
References
- Sources categories
- ARIA
- Reference & weblink
ARIA data base event no. 11663
(acessed December 2025)
