Hydrogen Fire from a Pipeline
A 2-inch line carrying hydrogen gas at approximately 2,800 psi (approximately 19.3 MPa) failed at a weld, resulting in a high pressure hydrogen fire. The fire resulted in flame impingement on the support of a 100-foot high (approximately 30 m) reactor in a hydrocracker unit. The steel skirt for this reactor, which was 10 to 12 feet in diameter (250 to 300 mm) and had a wall thickness of 7 inches (178 mm), subsequently failed. The collapse of this reactor damaged fin-fan coolers and other processing equipment, greatly increasing the size of the loss. It is believed that at the time of the loss, the hydrocracker unit was in the process of being shut down for maintenance. Therefore, the reactor was in a hydrogen purge cycle.
Event Date
April 10, 1989
Record Quality Indicator
Region / Country
Event Initiating System
Classification of the Physical Effects
Nature of the Consequences
Cause Comments
The cause of the initial hydrogen leak is believed to have resulted from the failure of an elbow to reducer weld in the 2-inch (51 mm) hydrogen preheat exchanger bypass line.
Facility Information
Application Type
Application
Specific Application Supply Chain Stage
Components Involved
2-inch pipeline, protective steel skirt of a reactor, reactor ,nearby equipment
Storage/Process Medium
Actual Pressure
193
Design Pressure
193
Location Type
Location description
Industrial Area
Operational Condition
Pre-event Summary
It is believed that at the time of the loss, the hydrocracker unit was in the process of being shut down for maintenance. Therefore, the reactor was in a hydrogen purge cycle.
Post-event Summary
The shutdown of the reformer and the enzene units reduced temporary the companys gasoline outputs. It affected also the quality of naphtha supplied to ethylene plant and the quantity of hydrogenation materials for about two weeks.
Event Nature
Emergency Action
Unknown
Release Type
Release Substance
Ignition Source
Detonation
No
Deflagration
No
High Pressure Explosion
No
High Voltage Explosion
No
Flame Type
Source Category
References
References
Event description extracted from the UK database ICHEME in PDF
ICHEME database is no longer available for purchase, but data can be download as PDF for free.
https://www.icheme.org/knowledge/safety-centre/resources/accident-data/
(accessed October 2020)