Ageing and degradation mechanisms Archives - Page 4 of 7 - La référence du retour d'expérience sur accidents technologiques

Sinking of a twin-deck floating roof of crude oil tank

18/07/2007
FRANCE

The sinking of a double-deck floating roof on the 70-m diameter B962 tank containing over 62,200 m³ of crude oil was detected on July 18, 2007 in a refinery. No product had been transferred from this tank since July 2,[...]

Breakage of an oil tank

12/01/2007
FRANCE

The bottom of a 13,500 m³ containing 12,000 m³ of light crude oil tank ripped open at 8:00 am within an oil depot. The earthen dikes surrounding the retention basin withstood the wave effect; 2,000 m³ of oil still overflowed[...]

Explosion of the dome of a sulphuric acid tank

26/11/2005
FRANCE

An explosion occurred in a chemical site causing the cover of a 99.2% sulphuric acid tank (filled to 300 t of its total 1500 tonne capacity) to open partially. The cover opened along the circumference of the tank at the[...]

Crude oil storage tank failure

25/10/2005
BELGIQUE

In a storage area of a refinery, a tank buckled at 6:35 pm, causing 37,000 m³ of crude oil to pour out like a wave. In less than 15 min, the site's 4-hectare retention basin was covered 1 m deep[...]

Fire on an HDS unit

26/06/2004
FRANCE

Fire broke out on the furnace of a hydrodesulphurisation (HDS) unit for refinery diesel. Flames and thick black smoke, containing CO2 and SO2, were visible at the smokestack. The site was locked down 5 min after detection of the accident.[...]

Propane leak on a sphere

14/06/2004
FRANCE

During a routine inspection of a spherical 2,000-m³ propane tank (previous test date: 2002) located in an LPG depot, the facility manager heard a whistling sound caused by a leak. The origin was a 1" tube positioned 2.50 m from[...]

Rupture of a gaseous oxygen line

08/06/2004
FRANCE

A gaseous oxygen (O2) pipe failed at around 4 am in a liquid oxygen production unit located in a port area. This pipe, most of which was buried underground, crossed the River Rhine to supply a German steelworks. The pressure[...]

Leak then flash of LPG in a refinery

23/04/2004
ALLEMAGNE

A flash of LPG occurred a refinery during a transfer operation between a fixed storage tank and a tanker truck. On the day of the accident, a tanker was being loaded when the screw-type connection between the loading arm and the[...]

Chlorine leak on a pipe in a chlorine liquefaction unit

13/01/2004
FRANCE

During the re-start phase of an electrolysis workshop in a chemical plant, chlorine (Cl2) gas leaked from a pipeline in a confined chlorine liquefaction unit. The operators shutdown the facilities and evacuated the premises. The internal emergency plan of the[...]

Ammonia leak

06/10/2003
FRANCE

At a steel factory, a small ammonia (NH3) leak was observed during the day on a tap valve fitting (inner tap diam.: 8 mm) of a pipe connecting storage tanks in the hydrogen production unit. This gas was being used[...]