Event
- Event ID
- 358
- Quality
- Description
- During the transit of 10 000 gallons (ca. 39000 l) LH2 transport vessel, the venting rate became extremely high . The annular vacuum appeared to be lost showing large patches of condensed water at the lower half of the outer vessel shell. It was necessary to stop many times to manually vent. In addition, a number of times the safety valve with an opening pressure of 55 psig (ca. 3.8 bar) was relieved. The tanker had only 3000 gallons (ca. 11400 l) remaining which was transferred to the storage tank. Crack was found in the lowest portion of the carbon steel jacket.
[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 (Valve)
- How was it involved?
- Correct Activation
- Initiating cause
- Over-Pressurisation (Thermal Insulation Degradation)
- Root causes
- Root CAUSE analysis
- INITIATING CAUSE
The outer jacket of the cryo-vessel cracked due to the presence of solid first, then liquid air at the bottom of the outer jacket. Air entered vacuum space during to cryo-pumping of liquid hydrogen. This air remained as a solid until the liquid hydrogen transfer was completed, after which, it melted. The crack was most likely caused by the thawing of solid air.
ROOT CAUSE or CONTRIBUTING CAUSE
The report does not provide any explanation why the vacuum failed during transport. Did the jacked crack during the journey? For which reason? Is this a design shortcoming?
Facility
- Application
- Hydrogen Transport And Distribution
- Sub-application
- LH2 tanker
- Hydrogen supply chain stage
- Hydrogen Transport (No additional details provided)
- All components affected
- Out jacket of the vacum insulation
- Location type
- Open
- Operational condition
Emergency & Consequences
- Number of injured persons
- 0
- Number of fatalities
- 0
- Property loss (onsite)
- 27000
- Post-event summary
- A loss of approximatly 1800 kg of hydrogen (Assuming a cost of hydrogen of 12 to 15 US$, an order of magnitude of the propoerty total loss could be estimated)
Event Nature
- Release type
- gas
- Involved substances (% vol)
- H2 100%
- Released amount
- 800
- Actual pressure (MPa)
- >0.38
- Design pressure (MPa)
- <0.38
- Presumed ignition source
- No ignition
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/19740020344
JRC assessment
- Sources categories
- ORDIN