Event
- Event ID
- 34
- Quality
- Description
- In an chlorine production plant, vented chlorine and hydrogen, auto ignited when the hydrogen concentration was allowed to exceed 5% and the mixture mixed with air.
[Zalosh and Short, 1978] - Event Initiating system
- Classification of the physical effects
- Hydrogen Release and Ignition
- Nature of the consequences
- Fire (No additional details provided)
- Macro-region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Date
- Main component involved?
- Venting System
- How was it involved?
- Ignition Of Vented H2
- Initiating cause
- Wrong Operation
- Root causes
- Root CAUSE analysis
- The INITIATING CAUSE was the formation of a chlorine-hydrogen flammable mixture in the vent.
The excess of hydrogen concentration in the exhaust occurred because the hydrogen detector was not (properly) calibrated.
The ROOT CAUSE was a failure to apply sound routines for the calibration of instruments.
Facility
- Application
- Chemical Industry
- Sub-application
- Chlorine production
- Hydrogen supply chain stage
- Hydrogen Storage (No additional details provided)
- All components affected
- chlorine electrolyser, exhaust system, gas detection
- Location type
- Open
- Location description
- Industrial Area
- Operational condition
Emergency & Consequences
- Number of injured persons
- 0
- Number of fatalities
- 0
- Post-event summary
- Material damage was 6000 $
Event Nature
- Release type
- gas mixture
- Involved substances (% vol)
- CL2
H2 - Release duration
- unknown
- Presumed ignition source
- Auto-ignition
References
- Reference & weblink
Table II 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
