Event
- Event ID
- 272
- Quality
- Description
- The explosion occurred at a hydrogen drier used for the treatment of the hydrogen used as coolant in a power generator.
The hydrogen leaked, entered the contactor panel box of the drier and was ignited by a spark from the solenoid valve.
The leak was caused by the corrosion of a hydrogen dryer cylinder. Explosion blew off contactor panel door.
No injuries sustained and no other area of plant was damaged. - Event Initiating system
- Classification of the physical effects
- Hydrogen Release and Ignition
- Nature of the consequences
- Macro-region
- Europe
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Date
- How was it involved?
- Leak & Formation Of A Flammable H2-Air Mixture
- Initiating cause
- Material Degradation (Internal Corrosion / Erosion)
- Root causes
- Unknown (No additional details provided)
- Root CAUSE analysis
- INITIATING CAUSE:
The leak was caused by the corrosion of a hydrogen dryer cylinder. Explosion blew off contactor panel door.
ROOT CAUSE:
In absence of details, it could have been one of the following:
lack of proper maintenance/inspection
design shortcoming
Management decision to operate the system beyond the max allowed age
Facility
- Application
- Power Plant
- Sub-application
- unspecified
- Hydrogen supply chain stage
- All components affected
- hydrogen dryer, H2 coolant
- Location type
- Unknown
- Operational condition
Emergency & Consequences
- Number of injured persons
- 0
- Number of fatalities
- 0
- Emergency action
- To stop the leak, the whole hydrogen iventory of thefacility was vented.
The rescue service was not notified.
Event Nature
- Release type
- gas
- Involved substances (% vol)
- H2 100%
- Presumed ignition source
- Electricity
- Deflagration
- N
- High pressure explosion
- N
- High voltage explosion
- N
References
- Reference & weblink
Event description provided by HSE, original source confidential
JRC assessment
- Sources categories
- HSE
