Event
- Event ID
- 793
- Quality
- Description
- The utility production facilities (electricity, water, air, and steam) at a refinery were isolated from the power grid and switched to two turbine generators in anticipation of a storm. However, at 9:50 p.m., both turbine generators shut down at the same time. Deprived of the necessary water and air, the boilers and all the production units entered a safe state.
1. The effluents drained from the stopped units were sent to detention ponds.
2. The gases were directed to the flare stack.
A leak with burning hydrogen and petrol occurred in one of the units.
The facility was restarted over the course of several days, but efforts were plagued by incidents due in particular to thermal fluctuations (pump breakage, water leak, steam leak, clogs, boiler with a punctured heating source).
The burning leak, which was quickly brought under control, may have been caused by differential thermal stresses applied to the tightening bolts of the two companion flanges and significant pressure fluctuations that occurred when the units transitioned to a safe state. The temperature difference caused by the cooling inertia of the connected facilities and the thickness of the ring joint facilitated the loss of hydrogen.
The cascade shutdown of the turbine generators was due to the control system, which failed because of an improperly connected electronic circuit board and a lack of pressure in the hydraulic circuit. - Event Initiating system
- Classification of the physical effects
- Hydrogen Release and Ignition
- Nature of the consequences
- Fire (No additional details provided)
- Macro-region
- Europe
- Country
- France
- Date
- Main component involved?
- Flange (Bolts)
- How was it involved?
- Leak & Formation Of A Flammable H2-Hc-Air Mixture
- Initiating cause
- Loss Of Tightness (Thermal Stress/Cycling)
- Root causes
- Root CAUSE analysis
- The INITIATING cause of the hydrogen leak was probably the failure of ha flanges join, subjected to thermal and pressure fluctuations occurred during the shutdown of the production units.
The unplanned shutdown was caused by the failure of the emergency auxiliary systems was caused by an improperly connected electronic circuit board and a lack of pressure in the hydraulic circuit.
Facility
- Application
- Petrochemical Industry
- Sub-application
- Generic refinery process
- Hydrogen supply chain stage
- All components affected
- unspecified production unit of a refinery
- Location type
- Open
- Location description
- Industrial Area
- Operational condition
- Pre-event occurrences
- In preparation to a storm, the site electricity supply had been switched from the power grid to two turbine generators.
Emergency & Consequences
- Number of injured persons
- 0
- Number of fatalities
- 0
Event Nature
- Release type
- gas mixture
- Involved substances (% vol)
- H2,
petrol - Presumed ignition source
- Not reported
References
- Reference & weblink
ARIA data base <br />
event no. 44185
JRC assessment
- Sources categories
- ARIA