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- Title
Analysis of a silane release and explosion in a photovoltaic fabrication plant.
- Authors
Yo-Yu Chang; Deng-Jr Peng; Hong-Chun Wu; Charng-Cheng Tsur; Hsiao-Yun Tsai; Chun-Cheng Shen; Shang-Kay Chen; Jenq-Renn Chen
- Abstract
An explosion and fire occurred in a silane gas room in a silicon thin-film photovoltaic modules fabrication plant which resulted in one fatality and completely destroyed the gas room. The fire also spread outside the room through a polypropylene exhaust duct to the cleanroom and exhaust scrubbers resulting in significant damage to the plant. This is the largest silane incident in the 30 years of silane operation in Taiwan. A detailed investigation of the incident is presented. The most intriguing finding is that the silane cylinder valve hand-wheel retainer was lost yet the retainer thread showed no sign of damage. Detailed examination of the silane powder also confirmed that the retainer hole was the major source of release. Efforts were then made to illustrate the possible mechanism of release and explosion. Fire escalation and the incident response are also addressed. Lessons learned in plant management, operation and engineering design are also discussed. It is hoped that the detailed analysis of this incident may raise the awareness of silane hazards and call for more research into the hazard potential of handling silane.
- Subjects
TAIWAN; SILANE; EXPLOSIONS; FIRES; ENGINEERING design; POLYPROPYLENE
- Publication
Loss Prevention Bulletin, 2007, Vol 196, Issue 1, p14
- ISSN
0260-9576
- Publication type
Article