Similar Cases:

Refinery Delayed Coker Accident

Refinery Asphalt Pump Seal Failure and Fire

Refinery Process Heater Fire

Steam Turbine Failure and Explosion

Explosion and Fire in a Solar Energy Power Plant

Heat Exchanger Failure and Explosion in an Olefin Plant

Refinery Piping Erosion Failure and Fire

In this project, APTECH evaluated the root cause of a pipe failure and ensuing fire at a refinery in Southern California. The oil/catalyst slurry at high temperature that is used for heat recovery boilers is an erosive mixture for normal carbon steel piping in refinery plants. In-plant systems are developed to monitor erosion as it occurs using various nondestructive testing techniques. In this particular incident, the FCC main column Bottoms slurry piping eroded to such an extent that the flange connecting the piping to the vessel bottom failed catastrophically. The ensuing fire caused significant plant damage and personnel injuries. APTECH investigated the inspection procedures, the materials involved, and the process parameters that led to the accident.

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.

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

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

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

Steven Kohan, Ph.D.		Chemical engineering, refinery processes, toxic fume generation.