Event
- Event ID
- 1097
- Quality
- Description
- The incident occurred "in the near of a hydrogen compressor" and consisted first in an explosion, followed by a fire. Cause not disclosed.
Emergency control and mitigation actions implemented caused the shutting down of five affected units and consequently including the Sulphur
Recovery Unit due to a lack of feed.
11 slightly injured, the blast caused windows rattling 30 km away. All personnel were evacuated from the site and the fire was extinguished approximately 1 hour later. No environmental impacts. - Event Initiating system
- Classification of the physical effects
- Hydrogen Release and Ignition
- Nature of the consequences
- Macro-region
- Africa
- Country
- South Africa
- Date
- Main component involved?
- Compressor / Booster / Pump
- How was it involved?
- Leak & Formation Of A Flammable H2-Air Mixture
- Initiating cause
- Unknown
- Root causes
- Unknown (No additional details provided)
Facility
- Application
- Petrochemical Industry
- Sub-application
- Hydrocracking process
- Hydrogen supply chain stage
- All components affected
- unknown
- Location type
- Unknown
- Location description
- Industrial Area
- Operational condition
- Unknown (No additional details provided)
Emergency & Consequences
- Number of injured persons
- 11
- Number of fatalities
- 0
- Environmental damage
- 0
- Post-event summary
- Emergency control and mitigation actions caused the shutting down of five affected units and the reduction of the daily refinery capacity
Event Nature
- Release type
- gas
- Involved substances (% vol)
- H2 100%
- Presumed ignition source
- Not reported
References
- Reference & weblink
The Chemistry Engineer news of22 May, 2017 <br />
https://www.thechemicalengineer.com/news/blast-at-sasol-total-natref-re… />
(accessed December 2023)Reuters news of May 22, 2017:<br />
https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN18I0RL/<br />
(Accessed December 2023)Event description in the French database ARIA<br />
https://www.aria.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/accident/49717/<br />
(accessed September 2023)
JRC assessment
- Sources categories
- News
