Deflagration in a ammonia synthesis unit

A deflagration occurred during shutdown of a reactor used for ammonia synthesis. It was followed by a jet fire.
The hydrogen leak was probably due first to the lower seals, followed by another leak on the upper seal of the autoclave, under 15 to 20 bars.

The Internal Operation Plan is launched and cancelled 1h50 later. No one is injured.

INITIATING cause was the leak of a joint of an autoclave. Nothing known on the root cause(s).

autoclave, seals of joints

The leak occurred during maintenance operation

Emergency responders were dispatched to the scene. The facility deluge system was turned on. This system covers the trailer fill aisle with water and includes nozzles at the rear of the trailer and a fire cannon directed to the front. When the emergency responders arrived, they immediately began spraying the adjacent trailers to ensure that they stayed cool. The HazMat crews closed the 10 individual tube fill isolation valves located at the rear of the tube trailer and extinguished the fire. Total time to control the incident was less than 10 minutes and there was no property damage from this event.