Event
- Event ID
- 329
- Quality
- Description
A temperature probe on a hydrogen make up gas compressor blew out from its compression fitting. This resulted in a release of hydrogen. The incident occurred due to a fatigue failure of the compression fitting.
The plant was shut down immediately, preventing any further release of hydrogen.
Vibration, manufacture and installation were all being considered as possible reasons for the failure. There were 20 such probes on the plant and these have all been removed until the cause of the failure could be established.- Event Initiating system
- Classification of the physical effects
- Unignited Hydrogen Release
- Nature of the consequences
- leak no ignition
- Macro-region
- Europe
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Date
- Component involved
- joint/connection (generic)
- Failure mode
- rupture, no ignition
- Initiating cause
- material degradation (fatigue)
- Root CAUSE analysis
The INITIATING/direct cause was a loss of confinement due to the failure of a temperature probe, possibly due to vibrations.
Contributing causes were possibly manufacturing and installation shortcomings.- Root causes
- Date entry in HIAD
- 28/02/2009
Facility
- Application
- Chemical industry
- Sub-application
- unspecified chemical process
- Hydrogen supply chain stage
- All components affected
compression fitting,
temperature gauge,
H2 compressor- Location type
- Unknown
- Location
- industrial area
- Operational condition
Emergency & Consequences
- Number of fatalities
- 0
- Number of injured persons
- 0
- Investigation comments
An investigation was performed to determine what may have caused the failure. Until conclusions are drawn 20 similar probes on site have been removed from service.
- Emergency action
Plant was shut down immediately, preventing any further release of hydrogen.
In-depth data
- Release type
- gas
- Involved substances (% vol)
- H2 100%
- Probable IGNITION SOURCE
References
- Sources categories
- HSE
- Reference & weblink
Event description provided by HSE, original source confidential
