Event
- Event ID
- 351
- Quality
- Description
Following the breakdown of a piston rod, a mixture of hydrogen and light hydrocarbons was released from the fresh hydrogen compressor of an oil refinery.
The rod broke down because of stress corrosion. The stress exerted on the rod was significantly increased by the looseness of the piston fixing point.
The gas mixture ignited, also igniting the lubricating oil and other items in the room.
Some 1,500 kg of hydrogen gas and a few hundred litres of lubricating oil were estimated to have been burned.- Event Initiating system
- Classification of the physical effects
- Hydrogen Release and Ignition
- Nature of the consequences
- fire
- Macro-region
- Europe
- Country
- Finland
- Date
- Component involved
- compressor / booster / pump (piston)
- Failure mode
- rupture & ignition
- Initiating cause
- material degradation (stress-corrosion)
- Root CAUSE analysis
The INITIATING CAUSE was the breaking rupture a rod due to stress corrosion. The stress exerted on the rod was significantly increased by the looseness of the piston fixing point.
The ROOT CAUSE, although not provided by the source, could be identified in shortcomings in service and maintenance. Nevertheless, also a design error cannot be excluded.
- Root causes
- Date entry in HIAD
- 28/02/2009
Facility
- Application
- Petrochemical industry
- Sub-application
- Unspecified refinery process
- Hydrogen supply chain stage
- All components affected
rod,
piston,
gas compressor- Location type
- Open
- Location
- industrial area
- Operational condition
- Pre-event occurrences
A piston rod broke down in a hydrogen compressor of an oil refinery. The rod broke down because of stress corrosion. The stress exerted on the rod was significantly increased by the looseness of the piston fixing point.
Emergency & Consequences
- Number of fatalities
- 0
- Number of injured persons
- 0
- Post-event summary
Some 1,500 kg of hydrogen gas and a few hundred litres of lubricating oil were estimated to have been burned.
In-depth data
- Release type
- gas
- Involved substances (% vol)
- H2 100%
- Released amount (kg)
- 1500
- Probable IGNITION SOURCE
References
- Sources categories
- Unknown
- Reference & weblink
Source lost
