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Clean Hydrogen Partnership

Loss of LH2 during transport

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