Event
- Event ID
- 813
- Quality
- Description
- A release of hydrogen and steam occurred in the battery room of a nuclear power plant around 21 h. Site agents neutralised the batteries. Noting the failure of the smoke extractor, public firefighters ventilated the room.
- Event Initiating system
- Classification of the physical effects
- Unignited Hydrogen Release
- Nature of the consequences
- Leak No Ignition (No additional details provided)
- Macro-region
- Europe
- Country
- France
- Date
- Main component involved?
- Battery
- How was it involved?
- Rupture
- Initiating cause
- Over-Heating
- Root causes
- Root CAUSE analysis
- The INITATING CAUSE was the overheating of batteries, which produced th erelease of water of the electrolyte and hydrogen.
The ROOT CAUSE is not provided. The fact that a fume detector, which had the obvious function to detect this type of events, was not fucntion suggests inadequacy of inspection and maintenance.
Facility
- Application
- Power Plant
- Sub-application
- Nuclear power plant
- Hydrogen supply chain stage
- All components affected
- battery room, smoke extractor
- Location type
- Confined
- Location description
- Industrial Area
- Operational condition
- Unknown (No additional details provided)
- Description of the facility/unit/process/substances
- DESCRIPTION OF THE SYSTEM
The report does not mention the type of batteries used and their functions. It can only be said that it was an energy storage system, possible as alternative or additonal power supply in case of emergency. The mentioned accidental production of steam and hydrogen could be possibly suggest a lead-acid battery system.
Emergency & Consequences
- Number of injured persons
- 0
- Number of fatalities
- 0
- Environmental damage
- 0
- Post-event summary
- The property loss was related to the need to replace (partially) the battery storage system.
Event Nature
- Release type
- gas mixture
- Involved substances (% vol)
- H2,
steam - Actual pressure (MPa)
- n.a.
- Design pressure (MPa)
- n.a.
- Presumed ignition source
- No ignition
References
- Reference & weblink
ARIA data base event no. 42040<br />
https://www.aria.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/accident/42040_en/?lang=… />
(accessed October 2025)
JRC assessment
- Sources categories
- ARIA
