Event
- Event ID
- 303
- Quality
- Description
- While a LH2 barge was being disconnected from dock, a flash occurred in the vent stack. No damage occurred but potential existed for major damage.
[Ordin, NASA (1974)] - 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?
- Prd (Burst Disc)
- How was it involved?
- Premature Activation
- Initiating cause
- Material Degradation (External Corrosion)
- Root causes
- Root CAUSE analysis
- The INITIATING CAUSE was the premature activation of a burst disc.
The LH2 burst disk was found to have a series of pin holes which permitted gaseous hydrogen to enter the land vent line. An explosive mixture was formed when air entered the disconnected
The ROOT CAUSE could be a manufacturing error or a lack of adequate inspection.
Facility
- Application
- Hydrogen Transport And Distribution
- Sub-application
- Waterborne LH2 transport
- Hydrogen supply chain stage
- Hydrogen Transport (No additional details provided)
- All components affected
- barge, vent stack
- Location type
- Open
- Location description
- Industrial Area
- Operational condition
Emergency & Consequences
- Number of injured persons
- 0
- Number of fatalities
- 0
- Emergency action
- The high-level alarm on 10% LEL triggered an automatic evacuation of the personnel.
The leak could not be stopped by the automatic shutdown od he hydrogen supply system, because it occurred at the hydrogen cylinder. Therefore, the Lab Manager had to perform a in situ manual operation.
Event Nature
- Release type
- gas
- Involved substances (% vol)
- H2 100%
- Presumed ignition source
- Not reported
References
- Reference & weblink
Mishap no 6 in <br />
P. L. Ordin, Review of hydrogen accidents and incidents in NASA operations, 1974, NASA TM X-71565<br />
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19740020344Lowesmith et al., Safety issues of the liquefaction, storage and transportation of liquid hydrogen: An analysis of incidents and HAZIDS, Int. J. Hydrogen energy (2014) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2014.08.002
Hankinson and Lowesmith, Qualitative Risk Assessment of Hydrogen Liquefaction, Storage and Transportation, FCH JU project IDEALHY, Deliverable 3.10 (2013)<br />
confidential<br />
(accessed October 2025)Hankinson and Lowesmith, HAZIDs for Hydrogen Liquefaction, Storage and Transportation , FCH JU project IDEALHY, Deliverable 3.11 (2013)<br />
https://www.idealhy.eu/uploads/documents/IDEALHY_D3-10%20HAZIDs_Liquefa… />
(Only summary publicly available, accessed October 2025)
JRC assessment
- Sources categories
- ORDIN
