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Ammonia Tank Explosion

A pressurized tank containing anhydrous ammonia ruptured and exploded inside a blueprint plant. The tank broke free from its wall anchors and launched itself into an occupied room. Injuries and property damage were caused by the ricocheting tank and by the release of ammonia gas. APTECH was hired by one of the defendants to determine the root cause of the failure of the tank. Metallurgical examinations led to the conclusion that the rupture initiated at a small fatigue crack on the inside surface. The fatigue crack had formed slowly over the years due to pressure cycling. The tank was judged to have been in service beyond its safe operating lifetime.

Satish Almaula		Plant failure and root cause analysis; process and design engineering analysis; process technology development and testing; plant engineering, operations, maintenance and safety management; plant and process control system management.

Richard Schreiber, P.E.		Machinery and mechanical device failure analysis, mechanical testing, combustion and heat transfer, industrial fires and explosions, gas appliances.

Kimble Clark, Ph.D.		Failure analysis, heat transfer & thermodynamics, process plant equipment failures & explosions, fuel science, combustion, industrial fires and explosions.

Michael Cronin, P.E.		Stress analysis, design evaluation, engineering mechanics

Geoffrey Egan, Ph.D.		Engineering mechanics, welding engineering, stress and fatigue analysis, risk analysis, NDE, project management.

Jeffrey Grover, P.E.		Mechanical engineering, failure analysis, civil engineering.

Eric Sullivan, P.E.		Metallurgy, welding, failure analysis, fire and explosion investigations, equipment, piping.