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Clean Hydrogen Partnership

Fire on a hydrogen compressor of a refinery

Event

Event ID
1073
Quality
Description
A hydrogen leakage caught fire in the hydrogen compressor area of the continuous reforming unit. The reforming unit and the hydrocracking unit were immediately stopped. The hydrogen flow was cut off, a protective combustion was carried out and the fire was completely extinguished after approximately 20 minutes, with no casualties.
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
China
Date
Main component involved?
Compressor / Booster / Pump
How was it involved?
Leak & Formation Of A Flammable H2-Air Mixture
Initiating cause
Unknown
Root causes
Unknown (No additional details provided)

Facility

Application
Petrochemical Industry
Sub-application
Steam methane reforming
Hydrogen supply chain stage
All components affected
hydrogen compressor
Location type
Open
Operational condition
Description of the facility/unit/process/substances
DESCRIPTION OF THE PROCESS
The reformer shut down had an 800,000 tonne/year capacity.
The benzene unit, also shut down, a capacity of 100,000 tonne/year.

Emergency & Consequences

Number of injured persons
0
Number of fatalities
0
Post-event summary
The shutdown of the reformer and the benzene units reduced temporary the company’s gasoline outputs. It affected also the quality of naphtha supplied to ethylene plant and the quantity of hydrogenation materials for about two weeks.

Event Nature

Release type
gas
Involved substances (% vol)
H2 100%
Presumed ignition source
Not reported

References

Reference & weblink

INF news of 24 April 2022<br />
https://inf.news/ne/economy/0c553bbea6950f07488715a0b361a06f.html?utm_c… />
(accessed July 2023)

ICIS news of25 April 2022<br />
https://www.icis.com/explore/resources/news/2022/04/25/10757175/fire-hi… />
(accessed July 2023)

JRC assessment