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H2Incidents: Hydrogen Incident Reporting and Lessons Learned

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Definitions

Incident
An incident is an event that results in:
  • a lost-time accident and/or injury to personnel
  • damage to project equipment, facilities or property
  • impact to the public or environment
  • an emergency response or should have resulted in an emergency response.
Near-Miss
A near-miss is an event that, under slightly different circumstances, could have become an incident. Examples include:
  • any unintentional hydrogen release that ignites, or is sufficient to sustain a flame if ignited, and does not fit the definition for an incident
  • any hydrogen release which accumulates above 25% of the lower flammability limits within an enclosed space and does not fit the definition of an incident
Non-Event
A non-event is a situation, occurrence, or other outcome relevant to safety that does not involve a particular incident or near miss. For example, a non-event might consist of a failed safety inspection.
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  1. Links
    By clicking on the links in the left navigation, you can view all incident reports matching that lone selection. For example, clicking on "Minor Injury" within the "Damages and Injuries" category will return a list of all incident reports that included "Minor Injury."
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Incident Report

Incorrect Relief Valve Set Point Leads to Explosion

No Incident Date defined.

 

Severity:
Incident

Was Hydrogen released?
Yes

Was there Ignition?
Yes

No Ignition Source Defined.

Description

Incident Synopsis
During a standard testing procedure, a 3,000 psig relief valve actuated at normal line pressure, releasing gaseous H2. The gaseous H2 combined with air, resulting in an explosion which damaged the test facility.

Cause
The relief valve was improperly set to open at line pressure, and the inspection was inadequate in that it didn't identify this error. Contributing cause was poor design of the venting system, which was installed in a horizontal position, causing inadequate venting and buildup of static electricity.

Setting

Equipment

Piping/Fittings/Valves

Ventilation System

Damage and Injuries

Probable Cause(s)

Contributing Factors

Characteristics

The incident was discovered During Inspection.

Lessons Learned/Suggestions for Avoidance/Mitigation Steps Taken

The site needs to implement a good Operational and Readiness Inspection procedure. System inspection deficiencies need to be identified, and (if possible) reviewed by a second party before future tests are conducted. This inspection could include the following:

A proper vent system design is as important as the relief valve itself. A vent system should be able to operate with no consequence at all. Proper facility design and venting to a safe location would have made this a near-miss instead of an incident.

Date Added to H2Incidents: 2/7/2007