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Refinery Hydrogen Fire

A refinery piping assembly that was being dismantled by a contractor suddenly released flammable gases. The gases subsequently ignited and the contractor suffered burn injuries. APTECH was retained by the refinery's law firm to determine the cause and origin of the fire. To reconstruct the accident, we examined the site of the fire, interviewed plant personnel, inspected the plant's operating logs and safety procedures, and reviewed witnesses' statements and deposition transcripts. Key components of the piping system were examined, photographed, and pressure-tested (hydrostatistically) to document their current condition.

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.

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

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