Chemical plant explosions and other accidents range from the minor loss of product, production of off-grade product, or spills, to major failures that may cause injury or death to personnel, and/or major property damage. Product loss or out-of-spec product can result in a large financial loss or litigation. Chemical spills can create an environmental problem.
Many chemical plant accidents are the result of the corrosive environment experienced in many of these facilities. Unseen corrosion can prevent safety valves from operating or cause control valves to malfunction. These can result in the failure of processing equipment.
Human error can result in overfilling a reactor or storage tank. Putting the wrong material in a vessel can result in loss of the material, the vessel, or both.
Many chemical plant failures are caused by malfunction of auxiliary equipment, such as: pumps, compressors, valves, motors, switches, controls, or their final control elements.
Electrical failures are common in the corrosive atmosphere of a chemical plant, and can cause serious fires and material loss. Besides electrical fires, chemical fires are not uncommon. Chemical plants working with organics and solvents have a significant risk of fire. Failures by either personnel or equipment can create the conditions for a fire or explosion. Plants that deal with inorganic compounds are not immune from the fire and explosion risks since they may employ strong oxidants or other reagents which, when accidentally placed in contact with some other compounds, may cause fires and explosions.
An example of a chemical plant accident involved a 2000 gallon glass-lined agitated reactor that was jacketed for 50 psi steam. The reactor failed when a rupture in the jacket allowed steam and the reaction mixture, which contained hydrochloric acid, to stream onto the floor. After the spill was cleaned, the failure of the expensive reactor was investigated. The reactor was inspected and maintained almost two months before the accident. The post-accident investigation revealed that, when the inspection and maintenance was conducted, the worker that was working at the bottom of the vessel dropped a tool. He inspected where the tool landed, but did not think to test the glass lining. The glass lining had been weakened by the tool, resulting in the reactor failure.
In another example, failure of a piece of auxiliary equipment caused a fire during the unattended operation of a polypropylene reactor. Concentrated hydrogen peroxide was automatically being fed into the top of an open top vessel. The pump had a safety shut-off controlled by the temperature within the vessel. A spark from a nearby bussbar ignited the hydrogen peroxide in the atmosphere. The safety failed to shut off the pump, resulting in a fire that destroyed the vessel.
Our Associates include professionals in chemical, mechanical, electrical, civil, and structural engineering, metallurgy, and chemistry to provide expert witness services for chemical plant explosions and other accidents.
We have the expertise to assist the insurance and legal professions in the analysis of chemical plant explosions and other accidents resulting in down time, property damage, personal injury, litigation, and subrogation claims. We provide expert technical forensic services to both plaintiffs and defendants, and insurance professionals.
