Event
- Event ID
- 360
- Quality
- Description
- The safety disc failed during unloading from a liquid hydrogen tanker. The release of cryogenic hydrogen resulted in fracturing a section of the vent pipe.
[Ordin, NASA (1974)] - 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?
- Prd (Burst Disc)
- How was it involved?
- Premature Activation
- Initiating cause
- Unknown
- Root causes
- Root CAUSE analysis
- The INITIATING CAUSE was the malfunction of the rupture disc, which failed prematurely. The proper technique for the unloading of the LH2 the trailer had not been used due to operational problems. The fracture of the vent pipe was due to thermal shock caused by the cold liquid hitting the pipe (the vent piping was carbon steel).
The report does not explain why the standard procedure was not used. It reasonable to conclude that this was the ROOT CAUSE, although it is not known if the right procedure could have avoided the premature disc rupture.
Facility
- Application
- Hydrogen Transport And Distribution
- Sub-application
- LH2 tanker
- Hydrogen supply chain stage
- Hydrogen Transfer (No additional details provided)
- All components affected
- burst disc
- Location type
- Open
- Location description
- Industrial Area
- Operational condition
Emergency & Consequences
- Number of injured persons
- 0
- Number of fatalities
- 0
Event Nature
- Release type
- gas
- Involved substances (% vol)
- H2 100%
- Presumed ignition source
- No ignition
References
- Reference & weblink
Mishap no 8 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/19740020344
JRC assessment
- Sources categories
- ORDIN
