Event
- Event ID
- 378
- Quality
- Description
- An empty liquid hydrogen tanker was returning to the base terminal after having delivered at a customer (approximately 4 hour and 200 miles). The drivers noticed vapour coming from the vent stack at the rear of the tanker. They stopped the vehicle and discovered that the vent valve had vibrated open since the last safety check. They closed the valve, ensured that everything else was safe and secure, and continued to the base terminal.
No defects were found after inspection at the terminal. - 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
- Loss Of Tightness (Road Vibrations)
- Root causes
- Root CAUSE analysis
- The INITIATING cause was the slightly opening of a valve due to road vibration.
The ROOT CAUSE was a design which did not took into account the whole range of mechanical solicitations which the pressure control system of the trailer could experiment when travelling.
Facility
- Application
- Hydrogen Transport And Distribution
- Sub-application
- LH2 tanker
- Hydrogen supply chain stage
- Hydrogen Transport (No additional details provided)
- All components affected
- vent valve
- Location type
- Open
- Operational condition
Emergency & Consequences
- Number of injured persons
- 0
- Number of fatalities
- 0
- Environmental damage
- 0
- Currency
- US$
- Property loss (onsite)
- 4
- Property loss (offsite)
- 0
Lesson Learnt
- Lesson Learnt
This case, as several similar one, could have a lesson learnt similar to case 70
Event Nature
- Release type
- gas
- Involved substances (% vol)
- H2 100%
- Presumed ignition source
- No ignition
References
- Reference & weblink
Report I-1992120298 of the US Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration PHMSA: <br />
https://portal.phmsa.dot.gov/analytics/saw.dll?Portalpages&PortalPath=%… />
(accessed September 2024)
JRC assessment
- Sources categories
- PHMSA
