Event
- Event ID
- 474
- Quality
- Description
- An excess of hydrogen in the reactor vessel resulted in a runaway reaction, causing the vessel to rupture due to overheating. The unbalanced reaction was caused by a reduction of flow of impure ethylene. When the vessel ruptured, air accessed the vessel and ignited spontaneously the process gas.
[Zalosh and Short, 1978] - 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?
- Reactor / Oven / Furnace / Test Chamber
- How was it involved?
- Rupture
- Initiating cause
- Run-Away Reaction
- Root causes
- Unknown (No additional details provided)
Facility
- Application
- Chemical Industry
- Sub-application
- hydrogenaton of ethylene
- Hydrogen supply chain stage
- All components affected
- reactor vessel
- Location type
- Confined
- Location description
- Unknown
- Operational condition
Emergency & Consequences
- Number of injured persons
- 0
- Number of fatalities
- 0
- Currency
- US$
- Property loss (onsite)
- 5000
Event Nature
- Release type
- gas mixture
- Involved substances (% vol)
- H2,
C2H4 - Ignition delay
- Auto-ignition
References
- Reference & weblink
Table II - Industrial Incidents of Appendix A of Zalosh and Short<br />
COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF HYDROGEN FIRE AND EXPLOSION INCIDENTS<br />
Quarterly Report No. 2 for Period December 1, 1977 - February 28, 1978<br />
https://www.osti.gov/biblio/6566131<br />
(accessed September 2020)
JRC assessment
- Sources categories
- Zalosh
