« previous next »
Pages: [1]   Go Down

Author Topic: Report: ITC did not have emergency shutoff valve or alarm before massive blaze  (Read 493 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Elderberry

  • TBR Contributor
  • *****
  • Posts: 24,408
Report: ITC did not have emergency shutoff valve or alarm before massive blaze
« on: October 31, 2019, 12:32:09 pm »
Houston Chronicle by  Perla Trevizo Oct. 30, 2019

Report: ITC did not have emergency shutoff valve or alarm before massive blaze

Thousands of gallons of a highly flammable hazardous chemical spilled for nearly 30 minutes before catching fire at the Intercontinental Terminals Co. tank farm in Deer Park, but the facility did not have a remote emergency shutoff valve nor an alarm to alert workers, according to the U.S. Chemical Safety Board.

Released Wednesday, the federal agency’s preliminary report is the first to provide a glimpse of what happened inside the chemical storage facility since a March 17 blaze sent a plume of black smoke into the skies that could be seen from 30 miles away, forced a three-day shutdown of the Houston Ship Channel and created 20 million gallons of waste.

While the exact cause of the ITC fire remains unknown, Chemical Safety Board investigators say there likely was a mechanical problem in a pump circulation system that transferred butane to a tank containing naphtha, a flammable liquid typically used as a feedstock for the production of gasoline.

The CSB is an independent federal agency charged with investigating industrial chemical accidents.

More: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Report-ITC-did-not-have-emergency-shutoff-valve-14584762.php
Logged

Offline thackney

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 12,267
  • Gender: Male
Re: Report: ITC did not have emergency shutoff valve or alarm before massive blaze
« Reply #1 on: October 31, 2019, 01:38:52 pm »
Interesting.

Even the tank farm I helped build in Yemen had automated valves at the tanks with remote operation.  We had to use special wiring good for 2000° to allow them to operate after a fire had started.
Logged
Life is fragile, handle with prayer

Offline thackney

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 12,267
  • Gender: Male
Re: Report: ITC did not have emergency shutoff valve or alarm before massive blaze
« Reply #2 on: October 31, 2019, 01:48:56 pm »
Storage Tank Fire at Intercontinental Terminals
Company, LLC (ITC) Terminal
https://www.csb.gov/assets/1/20/itc_factual_update_2019-10-30.pdf?16522

Photos and diagrams along with detailed descriptions.
Logged
Life is fragile, handle with prayer

Offline Elderberry

  • TBR Contributor
  • *****
  • Posts: 24,408
Re: Report: ITC did not have emergency shutoff valve or alarm before massive blaze
« Reply #3 on: October 31, 2019, 03:02:51 pm »
Very informative! Thanks!
Logged

Offline roamer_1

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 43,733
Re: Report: ITC did not have emergency shutoff valve or alarm before massive blaze
« Reply #4 on: October 31, 2019, 03:19:58 pm »
Quote from: thackney on October 31, 2019, 01:38:52 pm
Interesting.

Even the tank farm I helped build in Yemen had automated valves at the tanks with remote operation.  We had to use special wiring good for 2000° to allow them to operate after a fire had started.

The best laid plans of mice and men...
Logged
Pages: [1]   Go Up
« previous next »