Event
- Event ID
- 263
- Quality
- Description
The rupture disc installed on a liquid hydrogen tank failed, in a plant producing organic chemicals, during the weekly shut down. The hydrogen ignited at the exit of the exhaust chimney. The fire and the gas release were stopped by simply closing a valve.
- 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
- PRD (burst disc)
- Failure mode
- premature activation & venting
- Initiating cause
- unknown
- Root CAUSE analysis
The INITIATING CAUSE was the activation of a rupture disc.
It is not known if this was a pre-mature activation (disc failure) or a safety-event triggered by overpressure.The ROOT CAUSE is unknown.
- Root causes
- Unknown
- Date entry in HIAD
- 01/01/2022
Facility
- Application
- Chemical industry
- Sub-application
- Inorganic chemicals products
- Hydrogen supply chain stage
- All components affected
burst disc
- Location type
- Confined
- Location
- industrial area
- Operational condition
- Pre-event occurrences
The incident occurred during the week end, when the plant was shutdown.
Emergency & Consequences
- Number of fatalities
- 0
- Number of injured persons
- 0
- Post-event summary
Only damge was the loss of hydrogen
- Emergency action
The leak is stopped by closing a valve.
In-depth data
- Release type
- Liquid
- Involved substances (% vol)
- H2 100%
- Probable IGNITION SOURCE
References
- Sources categories
- ARIA
- Reference & weblink
Event description in the French database ARIA
https://www.aria.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/accident/2915/
(accessed December 2020)