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Clean Hydrogen Partnership

Hydrogen bottle explosion

Event

Event ID
1014
Quality
Description

This incident invovled a tank which was inside a car parked in a hospital underground parking garage. The tank was supposed to be used for launching a weather balloon. The hydrogen possibly leaked and ignited. Two people were injured and are being treated in the Emergency Department. The explosion damaged at least three other cars in the parking garage.
The parking garage does not appear to have sustained any structural damage.
Event Initiating system
Classification of the physical effects
Hydrogen Release and Ignition
Nature of the consequences
Macro-region
North America
Country
United States
Date
Main component involved?
Cgh2 Cylinder(S)
How was it involved?
Leak & Formation Of A Flammable H2-Air Mixture
Initiating cause
Unknown
Root causes
Root CAUSE analysis
Authorities believe the explosion was accidental, which means that an act of terorism or crime was excluded. Nevertheless, transporting compressed hydrogen in a private car, i n absence of permission and safety measure, was an act prohibited by law.

Facility

Application
Hydrogen Transport And Distribution
Sub-application
CGH2 cylinders truck
Hydrogen supply chain stage
Hydrogen Transport (No additional details provided)
All components affected
cylinders
Location type
Confined
Operational condition

Emergency & Consequences

Number of injured persons
2
Number of fatalities
0
Post-event summary
Two people were injured and treated in the hospital emergency department. One is listed in good condition while the other temporary serious condition.
The explosion damaged at least three other cars in the parking garage. Police say the explosion was so powerful it blew out windows in an elevator about 100 feet away.
The parking garage does not appear to have sustained any structural damage.

Lesson Learnt

Lesson Learnt

Since the cause of the incident is unknown, it is impossible to drawn case-specific lesson learnt. However, not only transporting a hydrogen tank loose in a car is illegal, to leave it in an underground parking is definitively a very bad practice.

Event Nature

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

References

Reference & weblink

Hydrogen Centra news<br />
https://hydrogen-central.com/injured-hydrogen-tank-explosion-henry-ford… />
(accessed December 2022)<br />

JRC assessment