Event
- Event ID
- 696
- Quality
- Description
- A hydrogen leak developed on a valve of a liquid hydrogen on the premises of a specialty gases company. Hydrogen vented from near the bottom of the vertical tank with a capacity of 6,000-gallon (1600 kg).
The hydrogen dispersed without igniting, visible through the white cloud of condensing moisture. In the afternoon, the gas also appeared to escape from around the top of the tank.
Firefighters evacuated the area, comprising the company building, a neighbouring business and a residence. Nearby streets were closed and the firefighters let the hydrogen venting.
Cryogenic experts intervened by testing the air around the tank and determined it to be safe, after which workers shut off a secondary valve, isolating the leaking valve. A faulty O-ring may have caused the leak. - Event Initiating system
- Classification of the physical effects
- Unignited Hydrogen Release
- Nature of the consequences
- Leak No Ignition (No additional details provided)
- Macro-region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Date
- Main component involved?
- Valve (Generic)
- 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
- The INITATING CAUSE of the incident was a leaking valve, probably due to a degraded O-ring. ROOT CAUSE is unknown.
Facility
- Application
- Chemical Industry
- Sub-application
- speciality gases production
- Hydrogen supply chain stage
- Hydrogen Storage (No additional details provided)
- All components affected
- LH2 stationary tank
- Location type
- Open
- Location description
- Industrial Area
- Operational condition
- Unknown (No additional details provided)
Emergency & Consequences
- Number of injured persons
- 0
- Number of fatalities
- 0
Event Nature
- Release type
- gas
- Involved substances (% vol)
- H2 100%
- Actual pressure (MPa)
- low
- Design pressure (MPa)
- low
- Presumed ignition source
- Not reported
References
- Reference & weblink
ISSSource news<br />
https://www.isssource.com/leaking-valve-leaks-hydrogen/<br />
(accessed December 2025)
JRC assessment
- Sources categories
- News
