Ageing and degradation mechanisms Archives - Page 3 of 7 - La référence du retour d'expérience sur accidents technologiques

Massive alumina red sludge release after the failure of a containment dam

04/10/2010
Accident report
HONGRIE

Around noon, a red sludge basin at an aluminium production site employing some 1,200 personnel broke over a 50-m length, releasing 1 million m³ of highly basic sludge; 10 people were killed and another 286 injured (due to chemical burns[...]

Bursting of a high-pressure steam pipe

28/06/2010
Accident report
FRANCE

At 11:15 pm, a violent and loud bursting occurs within an ammonia (NH3) synthesis unit at a SEVESO-classified nitrogenous fertiliser plant. The convex base welded to a heat-insulated, high-pressure water vapour pipe connected to catalytic reforming equipment had burst prior[...]

Rupture of an oxygen pipeline

13/06/2010
Accident report
FRANCE

Buried for 36 years at a depth of 2.5 m on a Seveso-rated plant involved in liquefying air on behalf of Lorraine's regional industry, an oxygen (O2) pipeline pressurised at 40 bar burst at 1:45 pm along the property boundary,[...]

Rupture of a pipeline within an underground hydrocarbon storage facility in saline cavities

01/05/2010
Accident report
FRANCE

Around 7:20 pm, at the time of injecting naphtha originating from a refinery, a steel pipeline (DN 500-62 bar: 7 mm thick) burst open at a site dedicated to underground hydrocarbon storage using saline cavities in the heart of the[...]

Fertiliser decomposition in a dryer

08/02/2010
Accident report
FRANCE

When observing yellow smoke emanating from the chimney of a drying unit located downstream of the fertiliser plant granulator, an employee notified a control room technician; the workshop extraction fan was turned off at 10:30 am in order to limit[...]

Leakage of a pipeline in a nature reserve

07/08/2009
Accident report
FRANCE

A leak was discovered on a crude oil pipeline (diam.: 40'', maximum service pressure: 40 bar, built in 1972) composed of welded rolled tubes. The accident occurred on a Natura 2000 site in the Crau Natural Reserve, home to several[...]

Explosion of a sulphuric acid tank

04/08/2009
Accident report
FRANCE

An empty 100-m³ reservoir of sulphuric acid (H2SO4) exploded at 9:15 am at a chemical site. Installed directly above its retention basin at a height of several metres, this "F2" reservoir was projected and fell nearby, toppling the scaffolding set[...]

Derailment of LPG tank-wagons followed by a UVCE explosion and an intense fire

29/06/2009
Accident report
ITALIE

Shortly after crossing a train station at a speed of 90 km/hr around 11:45 pm, the conductor of a convoy of 14 railcars containing 110 m³ (45 tonnes) of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) felt a jolt and noticed the derailment[...]

Wall rupture of a cereal storage silo and “domino effect” on a propane tank

19/08/2008
Accident report
FRANCE

2,100 tonnes of wheat and 1,000 tonnes of maize spilled over to the ground at around 1.30 following the rupture of the walls of a 14,900 m³ sheeting pile silo built in 1989 and comprising 6 square storage bins (4[...]

Oil spill in an estuary during a transfer operation

16/03/2008
Accident report
FRANCE

While loading 31,000 m3 of bunker fuel in a ship, a leak in a refinery transfer hose resulted in a major oil spill in the Loire estuary. At 4.10 pm, a person on a barge observed the presence of hydrocarbons[...]