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Clean Hydrogen Partnership

Explosion at a hydrocracker in a refinery

Event

Event ID
699
Quality
Description
An explosion or fire occurred in a hydro-treatment unit which was processing Fluid Catalytic Cracking feedstock. It was caused by a failure in a pipe downstream from a separator, resulting in the release and ignition of hydrogen and hydrocarbons in the unit area.

Event Initiating system
Classification of the physical effects
Hydrogen Release and Ignition
Nature of the consequences
Macro-region
North America
Country
United States
Date
Root causes
Unknown (No additional details provided)

Facility

Application
Petrochemical Industry
Sub-application
hydrotreatment
Hydrogen supply chain stage
All components affected
hydro-treater, connectiong pipelines
Location type
Confined
Location description
Industrial Area
Operational condition

Emergency & Consequences

Number of injured persons
2
Number of fatalities
0

Event Nature

Release type
Gas-liquid mixture
Involved substances (% vol)
H2,
hydrocarbons
Presumed ignition source
Not reported
High pressure explosion
N
Flame type
Other

References

Reference & weblink

Event 4700 of the UK database ICHEME

Primary source was in LOSS PREVENTION BULLETIN, 099, 3 <br />
(source notavailable anymore)

JRC assessment