Event
- Event ID
- 54
- Quality
- Description
- The fire was the consequence of the malfunctioning of a hydrogen compressor. This compressor was used to supply hydrogen to a reactor unit amining at increasing gasoline octane values.
- 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?
- Compressor / Booster / Pump
- How was it involved?
- Leak & Formation Of A Flammable H2-Air Mixture
- Initiating cause
- Material Degradation (Generic)
- Root causes
- Unknown (No additional details provided)
- Root CAUSE analysis
- INITIATING CAUSE was the malfunctioning of a hydrogen compressor. No details on the type of release caused, and no possibility to derive a root cause.
Facility
- Application
- Petrochemical Industry
- Sub-application
- refinery
- Hydrogen supply chain stage
- All components affected
- Hydrogen compressor
- Location type
- Unknown
- Location description
- Industrial Area
- Operational condition
Emergency & Consequences
- Number of injured persons
- 0
- Number of fatalities
- 0
- Post-event summary
- No consequence to persons or other equipment.
A backup compressor was temporarily used.
No impact on our production of gasoline - Emergency action
- After the explosion, the ammonia production unit was shut-down.
No off-site emergency measures were necessary.
Event Nature
- Release type
- gas
- Involved substances (% vol)
- H2 100%
- Presumed ignition source
- Not reported
References
- Reference & weblink
MyPlainViews news of September 13. 2003:<br />
https://www.myplainview.com/news/article/Fire-at-refinery-damages-compr… />
(accessed December 2023)
JRC assessment
- Sources categories
- News
