Explosion in a hydrogen production plant

Event

Event ID: 721
Quality: 3
Description: A hydrogen production plant was affected by an exploded, throwing debris for tens of metres and badly damaging the plant. The two workers in the plant at the time were not seriously injured.
The liquid hydrogen section appeared to have been to a large part destroyed. The explosion occurred in the body of the plant, where gaseous hydrogen is compressed and chilled.
Event Initiating system: Hydrogen System Initiating Event
Classification of the physical effects: Hydrogen Release and Ignition
Nature of the consequences: Explosion
Macro-region: North America
Country: Canada
Date: 10/11/2004
Root causes: System Design Error
Root CAUSE analysis: According to Radio Canada reporting the result of the investigation, the cause of the explosion were the incorrect carbon filters. This does not explain however the incident sequence.

Application: Hydrogen Production
Sub-application: LH2 and CGH2 production
Hydrogen supply chain stage: Hydrogen Production
All components affected: Liquiefaction stage
Location type: Unknown
Location description: Industrial Area
Operational condition: Normal
Description of the facility/unit/process/substances: DESCRIPTION OF THE FACILITY
The plant reportedly had a capacity of 3,600 tonnes/year of liquid hydrogen.

Number of injured persons: 2
Number of fatalities: 0
Post-event summary: Large damage to the LH2 installation. The gaseous production unit was not affected
Official legal action: The Commission de la santé et de la sécurité au travail (CSST - Commission for Health and Safety at Work) did not conduct an inquiry because no one was killed.

Lesson Learnt: There was no information which can be used to derive a return of experience.

Reference & weblink: Radio Canada news sof 10 Noember 2005<br />
https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/281000/hydrogenal
Le Novelliste news of 12 November 2004<br />
https://numerique.banq.qc.ca/patrimoine/details/52327/3307977<br />
(accessed Jan 2023)