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Clean Hydrogen Partnership

Explosion in the off-gas of a nuclear power plant

Event

Event ID
577
Quality
Description
The recombiner was being cut into off-gas system, when an explosion occurred in off-gas system.

[Zalosh and Short, 1978]
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?
Off-Gas System (Recombiner)
How was it involved?
Internal Explosion (H2-O2 Mixture)
Initiating cause
Wrong Operation
Root causes
Root CAUSE analysis
The fact that the explosion occurred when cutting the recombiner may be related to a too high content of hydrogen. Anyhow, something weent wrong when woking on the recombiner, suggesting shortcoming in the procedure.

Facility

Application
Power Plant
Sub-application
Nuclear power plant - BWR
Hydrogen supply chain stage
Location type
Confined
Location description
Unknown
Operational condition

Emergency & Consequences

Number of injured persons
0
Number of fatalities
0
Currency
US$
Property loss (onsite)
0

Event Nature

Release type
gas mixture
Involved substances (% vol)
H2,
O2
Ignition delay
Not reported

References

Reference & weblink

Table II - Industrial Incidetns of Appendix A of Zalosh and Short<br />
COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF HYDROGEN FIRE AND EXPLOSION INCIDENTS<br />
Quarterly Report No. 2 for Period December 1, 1977 - February 28, 1978<br />
https://www.osti.gov/biblio/6566131<br />
(accessed September 2020)

JRC assessment