Event
- Event ID
- 640
- Quality
- Description
A spontaneous combustion took place at drums containing lithium metal powder which were charged with argon gas for experiments. Lithium metal powder had usually been stored inside films of fluid paraffin to avoid its contact with water. In an attempt to recycle and re-use the powder, i nthis case it had been placed in in sealed drums under protective argon atmosphere. Due to an incomplete sealing , air moisture accessed the drums and by reaction with lithium, produced hydrogen. In addition, the reaction heat built up under hot and humid condition on the day of accident, leading to the ignition of hydrogen and/or lithium.
- Event Initiating system
- Classification of the physical effects
- Hydrogen Release and Ignition
- Nature of the consequences
- fire
- Macro-region
- Asia
- Country
- Japan
- Date
- Component involved
- chemical storage tank
- Failure mode
- leak & ignition
- Initiating cause
- accidental air entrance
- Root CAUSE analysis
The ROOT CAUSE seems a combination of a bad design and execution of a new, experimental way to store highly flammable substances: drums not properly sealed against gaseous/ vapours entrance, no possibility to monitor the process, lack of risk assessment. Unknown is the role of supervisors/ management.
- Root causes
- Date entry in HIAD
- 01/01/2020
Facility
- Application
- Steel and metals industry
- Sub-application
- lithium production
- Hydrogen supply chain stage
- All components affected
lithium powders,
- Location type
- Unknown
- Location
- industrial area
- Operational condition
- Pre-event occurrences
An experimental operation was attempted
Emergency & Consequences
- Number of fatalities
- 0
- Number of injured persons
- 0
In-depth data
- Release type
- gas-solid mixture
- Involved substances (% vol)
- H2,
lithium - Probable IGNITION SOURCE
References
- Sources categories
- RISCAD
- Reference & weblink
Orignal source lost. RISCAD is closed.
