Pollution
Humain
Environnement
Economique

At a refinery, an incident occurred on a predistillation column (diameter: 4.5 m; height: 35 m) within an atmospheric distillation unit. During a violent thunderstorm, a valve opened and spewed crude oil to the exterior, with fallout covering an area of approx. 800 m². Given the ambient temperature (0°C), the sewer network was obstructed by hailstones. The pressure inside the tower had been raised to 9 bar, yet neither the level sensor nor the corresponding alarm was working properly. The cause of the accident could be attributed to lightning. No other consequences were mentioned in the accident report.