Event
- Event ID
- 426
- Quality
- Description
- During sampling tests on a facility LH2 dock transfer system, the system was pressurised to 15 psig when an expansion joint ruptured. Technicians proceeded with the pressure cycle with the main valve closed instead of in open position as required. Damage to LH2 transfer system.
[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?
- Joint/Connection (Expansion Joint)
- How was it involved?
- Rupture
- Initiating cause
- Over-Pressurisation (Wrong Operation)
- Root causes
- Root CAUSE analysis
- The sampling was performed without checking the main valve which was closed and should have been open. A contributing factor was that personnel performing system repair had closed the main valve without tagging a critical valve. These factors suggest a ROOT CAUSE related to shortcoming in ecexution of a procedure (no pre-test check), agravated by lack of information.
Facility
- Application
- Non-Road Vehicles
- Sub-application
- Aerospace
- Hydrogen supply chain stage
- Hydrogen Transfer (No additional details provided)
- All components affected
- joint, transfer line
- Location type
- Unknown
- Operational condition
Emergency & Consequences
- Number of injured persons
- 0
- Number of fatalities
- 0
- Environmental damage
- 0
Event Nature
- Release type
- gas
- Involved substances (% vol)
- H2 100%
- Release duration
- unknown
- Presumed ignition source
- No ignition
- Ignition delay
- Y
References
- Reference & weblink
Mishap no 64 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
