Hydrogen is widely used in process industry because of its various application. Cylinders are important instruments to carry hydrogen. However, accidents of hydrogen cylinders often occur during the hydrogen production, operation, transportation, and storage. On July 23, 2004, three quartz manufacturing companies’ hydrogen cylinders exploded during operation in the same county of China. Six people were killed and several buildings collapsed. In this paper, the cause of hydrogen cylinder explosions is analyzed by introducing the production and operation process of hydrogen. Chemical explosion is determined from the cylinder debris and the chemical composition of gas in the remaining cylinders. The energy and the overpressure generated by the explosion are estimated through calculation. Personnel injury and building damage are also analyzed. In order to safely release hydrogen, corresponding method and devices are designed. The lessons learned from chemical process safety are also presented to prevent similar accidents from occurring.
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