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Fire in the distillation unit of a refinery

  • FRANCE
In a refinery, at around 3.35 a.m., an alarm in the control room informed the operators of a fire in the distilling unit. At around 4.00 a.m., the flames had reached a height of 50 m and had engulfed an area of 2,500 m². The[...]
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Beware Of Smoke From Fire!

Beware of smoke from fire!

Whether white (rich in aerosols or water vapour), grey (a mixture of aerosols and solid particles) or black (large solid particles), the smoke released from fires presents several risks. Beyond death from intoxication, fumes are a potential health hazard owing[...]
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Wind turbine toppled during a storm

  • FRANCE
A 60-m-high wind turbine snapped in two in the early morning during a storm. The upper 55 m of the turbine fell to the ground, scattering debris over a fairly large area and driving the rotor into the ground. Firefighters set[...]
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Seal/Gasket Accident Study

Seal/Gasket accident study

In early March 2017, the ARIA database identified 349 events involving fittings and seals/gaskets. These elements are often encountered on pipe flanges and are also essential sealing components for valves or other equipment. Insufficiently tightened flange bolts and deficient leak[...]
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Biogas And Corrosion

Biogas and corrosion

Numerous forms of corrosion have been found on steel equipment used in the manufacture or transport of biogas. Three corrosion degradation modes are presented here based on events that occurred in France. It seems that corrosion should be taken into[...]
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Ageing And Management Of Spare Parts: A Major Challenge

Ageing and management of spare parts: a major challenge

The accident can quickly occur when the repair of an ageing equipment is not conducted in a timely manner! Often involved: an improper management of replacement parts, which are not available in due course. Patch-up jobs, consisting in reallocating pieces[...]
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