Gases Release from Pipe at a Refinery
Three workers were asphyxiated when argon and hydrogen gas leaked from pipes they were installing on an aromatics plant being built on a cracking complex.
Event Date
February 14, 2000
Record Quality Indicator
Region / Country
Event Initiating System
Classification of the Physical Effects
Nature of the Consequences
Causes
Cause Comments
Gas leakage causing asphyxiation
Facility Information
Application Type
Application
Specific Application Supply Chain Stage
Storage/Process Medium
Location Type
Location description
Industrial Area
Operational Condition
Pre-event Summary
Corrosion inside one of the outlet headers of an air fin fan cooler was caused by iron sulfide scale deposits accelerated by increased chloride content of fluid which itself was caused by a process modification which had resulted in decreased flow rate. Corrosion caused release of hydrogen rich gas with oil which ignited giving an explosion which caused 800 window glass damage.Iron sulfide and hydrogen
Number of Fatalities
1
Currency
Lessons Learned
Lessons Learned
Unknown
Event Nature
Emergency Action
Unknown
Detonation
No
Deflagration
No
High Pressure Explosion
No
High Voltage Explosion
No
Source Category
References
References
source lost