Event
- Event ID
- 287
- Quality
- Description
- A truck loaded with 22 hydrogen cylinders pallets (370 litres each) was traveling on a national highway. While stopped at a traffic light, it was rear-ended by a large truck which damaged the piping and valves of the pallets, causing hydrogen gas to eject and ignite.
Both drivers were killed, and two passers-by were injured. In addition, nearby shops and houses were set on fire. The truck driver had fallen asleep while driving. - Event Initiating system
- Classification of the physical effects
- Hydrogen Release and Ignition
- Nature of the consequences
- Fire (No additional details provided)
- Macro-region
- Asia
- Country
- Japan
- Date
- Main component involved?
- Valve (Generic)
- How was it involved?
- Rupture & Formation Of A Flammable H2-Air Mixture
- Initiating cause
- Impact, Rollover, Crash
- Root causes
- Root CAUSE analysis
- The INITIATING CAUSE was the failure of a conventional component (tyre) .
The ROOT CAUSE was probably the lack of effective protection of the pressure and flow control system of the cylinders, which were not designed for impacts coming collisions from the vehicles.
Facility
- Application
- Hydrogen Transport And Distribution
- Sub-application
- CGH2 cylinders truck
- Hydrogen supply chain stage
- Hydrogen Transport (No additional details provided)
- All components affected
- piping, valves
- Location type
- Open
- Operational condition
- Pre-event occurrences
- 22 pallets of 370 l each gives a total water capacity of 8 m3. Assuming a pressure of 200 bar, it provide estimation of the transported quantity of ca. 120 kg
Emergency & Consequences
- Number of injured persons
- 2
- Number of fatalities
- 2
- Environmental damage
- 0
- Emergency action
- none
Event Nature
- Release type
- gas
- Involved substances (% vol)
- H2 100%
- Release rate
- 100 kg
- Presumed ignition source
- Mechanical sparks
References
- Reference & weblink
High Pressure Gas Accident Cases Database of the KHK (High Pressure Gas Safety Association): <br />
https://www.khk.or.jp/public_information/incident_investigation/hpg_inc… />
(accessed May 2025)
JRC assessment
- Sources categories
- KHK
