Event
- Event ID
- 607
- Quality
- Description
- A truck loaded with hydrogen gas cylinders bundles (3 bundles of 30 cylinders, 1 bundle of 12 cylinders) was traveling on a seaside road. The nylon rope holding the bundles broke due to excessive speed, and the bundles fell into the oncoming lane. Due to the impact, the valve broke, and hydrogen gas released and ignited.
- Event Initiating system
- Classification of the physical effects
- Unignited Hydrogen Release
- Nature of the consequences
- Leak No Ignition (No additional details provided)
- Macro-region
- Asia
- Country
- Japan
- Date
- Main component involved?
- Valve (Generic)
- How was it involved?
- Rupture & Formation Of A Flammable H2-Air Mixture
- Initiating cause
- Impact, Rollover, Crash
- Root causes
- Root CAUSE analysis
- The INITIATING CAUSE the rupture of the rope fixing the bundles on the trailer, due to too high speed.
The ROOT CAUSE is usually attributed in a case of road crashes to human error (too high speed). However, the securing of the bundles on the trailer shoed shortcoming (installation error). Moreover, the design of the pallets should be have able to protect the valve system, from the type of mechanical impacts expected from a road incident (shortcoming in design).
Facility
- Application
- Hydrogen Transport And Distribution
- Sub-application
- CGH2 cylinders truck
- Hydrogen supply chain stage
- Hydrogen Transport (No additional details provided)
- All components affected
- cylinders
- Location type
- Open
- Operational condition
Emergency & Consequences
- Number of injured persons
- 1
- Number of fatalities
- 0
- Post-event summary
- minor injury
Lesson Learnt
- Lesson Learnt
This is a case where too high speed was at the base of the loss of the load, due to the rupture of the nylons straps securing the bundle (or pallets) the trailer.
A too high speed is a case of human error, the driver not respecting the road rules. However, the incident should trigger a review of the method used to secure the bundles on the trailer, because it should have been designed to resist to out-of-specification conditions, considering the hazardous material transported. Moreover, the design of the pallets should be have able to protect the valve system, from the type of mechanical impacts expected from a road incident (shortcoming in design).
Event Nature
- Release type
- gas
- Involved substances (% vol)
- H2 100%
- Presumed ignition source
- No ignition
References
- Reference & weblink
High Pressure Gas Accident Cases Database of the KHK (High Pressure Gas Safety Association): <br />
https://www.khk.or.jp/public_information/incident_investigation/hpg_inc… />
(accessed May 2025)The first entry in HIAD was coming from RISCAD, which is now closed.<br />
http://www.aist.go.jp/RIODB/RISCAD<br />
JRC assessment
- Sources categories
- KHK
