Fire in Cyclone
The accident occurred on the hopper fine powders from a pair of cyclones (the hopper is the bottom conical part of the cyclone collecting the powder/dust separated from gas phase). A bursting disc ruptured on the hopper., releasing ethylene and hydrogen gases, followed by a flash and explosion. Two men were injured.
Event Date
September 17, 1975
Record Quality Indicator
Event Initiating System
Classification of the Physical Effects
Nature of the Consequences
Causes
Facility Information
Application Type
Application
Specific Application Supply Chain Stage
Components Involved
bursting disc, hopper, cyclone
Location Type
Location description
Industrial Area
Pre-event Summary
Apparently, the event occurred during normal operation
Environmental Damage
160000
Currency
Lessons Learned
Lessons Learned
According to the ICHEME report (see references), the recommendations/lessons learned issued were:1. Fit a "stack" to the disc stub, to direct any emission away from personnel.2. Automate operations as far as practicable to minimise operator/equipment interaction.
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)