The Sunnyvale Sun

News

Gas leak stymies city traffic

By Jason Goldman-Hall

A small section of Sunnyvale was closed to traffic on Nov. 21 as Department of Public Safety crews worked to contain a hydrogen leak just north of Highway 101 on E. Weddell Drive.

Just before 9 a.m., a 3,000-gallon tank of liquid hydrogen began venting excess hydrogen into the air after becoming over-pressurized.

According to city spokesman John Pilger, as the hydrogen--which has to be cooled to more than 400 degrees Fahrenheit below zero to become a liquid--traveled through a pipe while being released, it chilled the metal pipe so much that it contracted, and a small opening formed around a flange.

The liquid began leaking out, and the Sunnyvale Hazardous Materials Compliance Unit was called out to handle the situation.

To stop the leak, Sunnyvale fire crews sprayed the hose with water to warm it and cause it to expand, then hazardous materials teams tightened down the pipe with a brass wrench--to stop sparks that could ignite the hydrogen--to prevent further leaks.

"We get leaks like this from time to time," Pilger said. "That's part of living in a high-tech area; it happens."

Employees from Analog Devices were told to stay inside during the leak, and the California Highway Patrol closed the Fair Oaks Avenue exit off the highway.

"It looked like a bigger deal than it was," Pilger said. "I'm sure the people around us were thinking 'Hindenburg.'"