Event
- Event ID
- 428
- Quality
- Description
- A Bourdon tube ruptured in pressure gauge after 528 hours of operation in LH2. The alarm sounded, the system was isolated and then vented.
[Ordin, NASA (1974)] - Event Initiating system
- Classification of the physical effects
- Hydrogen Release and Ignition
- Nature of the consequences
- Macro-region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Date
- -
- Main component involved?
- Gauge
- How was it involved?
- Rupture
- Root causes
- Root CAUSE analysis
- The tube was made of martensitic stainless steel 403 SS which is subject to hydrogen embrittlement. It was requested that all gauges that have bourdon tubes be replaced with austenitic stainless steeel 303 SS.
Facility
- Application
- Hydrogen Stationary Storage
- Sub-application
- LH2 vessel
- Hydrogen supply chain stage
- Hydrogen Storage (No additional details provided)
- All components affected
- tube
- Location type
- Unknown
- Operational condition
- Description of the facility/unit/process/substances
- DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESSURE GAUGE
A Bourdon tube pressure gauge is a mechanical instrument that uses a curved, flattened metal tube to measure fluid pressure. As pressure increases, the tube attempts to straighten out, and this movement is transferred through a linkage mechanism to a pointer that indicates the pressure on a dial. These gauges are widely used, operate without electricity.
They are widely used in LH2 storage tank and other LH2 systems. They are now made of AISI 316L stainless steel wetted parts to resist hydrogen permeation and embrittlement. In addition, they features an additional safety characteristics aiming at minimising consequences of explosion: a safety case to protect people standing in front of the instruments.
Emergency & Consequences
- Number of injured persons
- 0
- Number of fatalities
- 0
- Environmental damage
- 0
- Property loss (onsite)
- low
- Property loss (offsite)
- 0
- Post-event summary
- Damage probaly only the cost of the gauge
Lesson Learnt
- Lesson Learnt
- At the time of the occurence of this event, it was not yet common knowledge that martensitic stell, such as the 403 stainless steel , is subject to hydrogen embrittlement.
- Corrective Measures
- It was requested that all gauges that have bourdon tubes be replaced with austenitic stainless steel 303 SS.
Event Nature
- Release type
- gas
- Involved substances (% vol)
- H2 100%
- Presumed ignition source
- Not reported
- Ignition delay
- N
References
- Reference & weblink
Mishap no 68 in <br />
P. L. Ordin, Review of hydrogen accidents and incidents in NASA operations, 1974, NASA TM X-71565<br />
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19740020344Lowesmith et al., Safety issues of the liquefaction, storage and transportation of liquid hydrogen: An analysis of incidents and HAZIDS, Int. J. Hydrogen energy (2014) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2014.08.002
Hankinson and Lowesmith, Qualitative Risk Assessment of Hydrogen Liquefaction, Storage and Transportation, FCH JU project IDEALHY, Deliverable 3.10 (2013)<br />
confidential<br />
(accessed October 2025)Also uptaken in US database H2TOOLS<br />
https://h2tools.org/lessons/stainless-steel-403-failure-liquid-hydrogen… />
(accessed Decembr 2025)
JRC assessment
- Sources categories
- ORDIN
