Event
- Event ID
- 390
- Quality
- Description
- While a H2 sample was being prepared for an analysis, one of two cryogenic sample bottle disks ruptured and the gas ignited.
[Ordin, NASA (1974)] - 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?
- Prd (Burst Disc)
- How was it involved?
- Premature Activation
- Initiating cause
- Unknown
- Root causes
- Root CAUSE analysis
- A material deficiency in that the disk was extensively corroded and failed under work working gas pressure. Contributing causes were inadequate quality control which failed to detect the corroded disk, and a test set-up which aimed the disk end of the bottle toward technicians.
Facility
- Application
- Laboratory / R&d
- Sub-application
- Aerospace
- Hydrogen supply chain stage
- All components affected
- LH2 cryogenic bottles
- Location type
- Unknown
- 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
- Not reported
- Ignition delay
- N
References
- Reference & weblink
Mishap no 49 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/19740020344Lowesmith et al., Safety issues of the liquefaction, storage and transportation of liquid hydrogen: An analysis of incidents and HAZIDS, Int. J. Hydrogen energy (2014) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2014.08.002
Hankinson and Lowesmith, Qualitative Risk Assessment of Hydrogen Liquefaction, Storage and Transportation, FCH JU project IDEALHY, Deliverable 3.10 (2013)<br />
confidential<br />
(accessed October 2025)
JRC assessment
- Sources categories
- ORDIN
