Storage tank explosion investigation

A fuel storage tank exploded on July 31, 1995, at the Texaco Caribbean, St. Thomas facility. The explosion was initiated by welders working on a tank into which fuel had accidentally been introduced. This paper focuses on estimating the amount of fuel that was available in the tank to cause the obse...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Process safety progress 2004-03, Vol.23 (1), p.16-20
Main Authors: Baker, Quentin A., Ketchum, Donald E., Turnbull, Ken H.
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:A fuel storage tank exploded on July 31, 1995, at the Texaco Caribbean, St. Thomas facility. The explosion was initiated by welders working on a tank into which fuel had accidentally been introduced. This paper focuses on estimating the amount of fuel that was available in the tank to cause the observed blast damage. Two days prior to the explosion, seawater was added to a dry, empty tank for hydrostatic testing. Unfortunately, some gasoline or mixed hydrocarbons entered the tank along with the seawater. During the 11 hr between its introduction and the explosion, the fuel evaporated, creating a combustible mixture in the ullage space. Calculations showed that, although the ullage gases did not reach equilibrium, a portion of the mixture was between the upper and lower flammability limits.
ISSN:1066-8527
1547-5913
DOI:10.1002/prs.10001