Officials investigate mysterious disappearance of 30-Ton shipment of explosive chemicals in Californ

[rangerrebew]

Officials investigate mysterious disappearance of 30-Ton shipment of explosive chemicals in California
Story by Sarah Rumpf-Whitten • Yesterday 6:00 AM
 
Approximately 61,000 pounds of ammonium nitrate, a chemical used as both fertilizer and an ingredient in explosives, went missing when it was shipped by rail from Wyoming to California last month, prompting officials to begin investigating the mysterious disappearance.

Ammonium nitrate was used in 1995 at an attack on the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. The explosion killed 168 people and injured approximately 850.

On April 12, a railcar loaded with 30 tons of the chemical left Cheyenne, Wyoming. However, according to an incident report from Dyno Nobel, when the car arrived two weeks later at a rail stop in the Mojave Desert, it was completely empty.

Dyno Nobel, the company responsible for shipping the ammonium nitrate is a leader in commercial explosives and filed a report with the federal National Response Center (NRC) on May 10.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/officials-investigate-mysterious-disappearance-of-30-ton-shipment-of-explosive-chemicals-in-california/ar-AA1btmSB?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=4833296e021a4c30888185ff467fc324&ei=38

[rangerrebew]

Global warming made it disintegrate!

[Kamaji]

That's a lot of AN, now just look for a comparable amount of fuel oil to have gone missing - ANFO.

[GtHawk]

 A 1000+ mile journey across three states, the rail car wasn't opened till Mojave, CA but the explosives were stolen in California?

[Smokin Joe]

That's a lot of AN, now just look for a comparable amount of fuel oil to have gone missing - ANFO.

In sufficient quantity, the fuel oil isn't necessary.



(Beiruit harbor explosion, showing characteristic ammonium nitrate brownish orange cloud)

[Kamaji]

In sufficient quantity, the fuel oil isn't necessary.



(Beiruit harbor explosion, showing characteristic ammonium nitrate brownish orange cloud)

Fair dinkum.  How much AN was in the Beiruit warehouse?

[Smokin Joe]

A 1000+ mile journey across three states, the rail car wasn't opened till Mojave, CA but the explosives were stolen in California?

Looks like someone shunted that car onto a siding and unloaded it, then put it back into the system. Otherwise, it should have been there (still loaded) on time.

[Kamaji]

Looks like someone shunted that car onto a siding and unloaded it, then put it back into the system. Otherwise, it should have been there (still loaded) on time.

Didn't they miss it when it didn't arrive on time as scheduled?

[Smokin Joe]

Fair dinkum.  How much AN was in the Beiruit warehouse?

A lot more. Estimated at 2750 tons, basically a shipload, but that explosion killed 135+/- and leveled parts of that harbor.

30 tons (a semi-load) would do a lot of damage in an area confined by surrounding buildings, especially in a city or business district full of high rise buildings.

Real evil (like used in the African Embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania) would use a small explosion or fire to draw people to windows to look outside and see what was going on, then follow that in a minute or two with a major explosion to blow in the windows and shred the curious.

[Kamaji]

A lot more. Estimated at 2750 tons, basically a shipload, but that explosion killed 135+/- and leveled parts of that harbor.

30 tons (a semi-load) would do a lot of damage in an area confined by surrounding buildings, especially in a city or business district full of high rise buildings.

Was it packed loose, or in containers, and if in containers, how small would the typical container unit have been?

[Smokin Joe]

Was it packed loose, or in containers, and if in containers, how small would the typical container unit have been?

It was in stacks of sacks in a warehouse and had been there some time. Fireworks in an adjacent warehouse caught fire, and the explosion resulted when that lit off the Ammonium Nitrate.
https://www.thechemicalengineer.com/news/ammonium-nitrate-explosion-in-beirut-kills-at-least-135-people/
https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/07/middleeast/beirut-lebanon-ammonium-nitrate-explosion/index.html

[Kamaji]

It was in stacks of sacks in a warehouse and had been there some time. Fireworks in an adjacent warehouse caught fire, and the explosion resulted when that lit off the Ammonium Nitrate.
https://www.thechemicalengineer.com/news/ammonium-nitrate-explosion-in-beirut-kills-at-least-135-people/
https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/07/middleeast/beirut-lebanon-ammonium-nitrate-explosion/index.html

What about the stuff in the rail car?  Same sort of packaging?

[Smokin Joe]

What about the stuff in the rail car?  Same sort of packaging?

I have no idea how it was packaged.

[Kamaji]

I have no idea how it was packaged.

Fair enough!  Neither do I, quite obviously!

[bigheadfred]

From the article. "The initial assessment is that a leak through the bottom gate on the railcar may have developed in transit," the company told KQED News."

So it sounds like it was packed loose in some type of hopper car.

@Kamaji  @Smokin Joe

[Kamaji]

From the article. "The initial assessment is that a leak through the bottom gate on the railcar may have developed in transit," the company told KQED News."

So it sounds like it was packed loose in some type of hopper car.

@Kamaji  @Smokin Joe

@bigheadfred

Thanks!

[Smokin Joe]

From the article. "The initial assessment is that a leak through the bottom gate on the railcar may have developed in transit," the company told KQED News."

So it sounds like it was packed loose in some type of hopper car.

@Kamaji  @Smokin Joe

Most hopper cars in this area have multiple bottom gates (mostly grain or frac sand haulers in this area). If only one 'leaked' the whole cargo would not have been lost.

[Kamaji]

Most hopper cars in this area have multiple bottom gates (mostly grain or frac sand haulers in this area). If only one 'leaked' the whole cargo would not have been lost.

Do cars like that contain internal baffles?

[Smokin Joe]

Do cars like that contain internal baffles?

Open top cars may, it is possible that the covered one would. In these parts the load is the same stuff, be that coal, grain, or frac sand coming in or going out, so while the individual gates have feed cones, the bulk area is not separated into different bays. Someone out there knows more than I do about this, and I'd hope they would weigh in.

[Kamaji]

Open top cars may, it is possible that the covered one would. In these parts the load is the same stuff, be that coal, grain, or frac sand coming in or going out, so while the individual gates have feed cones, the bulk area is not separated into different bays. Someone out there knows more than I do about this, and I'd hope they would weigh in.

In which case, if there are no internal baffles, all of the product other than that trapped in an individual discharge cone could leak out through a single malfunctioning gate, if given enough time.

[Smokin Joe]

In which case, if there are no internal baffles, all of the product other than that trapped in an individual discharge cone could leak out through a single malfunctioning gate, if given enough time.

Further research indicates that those cars are separated into two to four separate bays, so that could be the case. 30 tons is a fraction of the freight weight capacity of one hopper car, the question is one of how much volume would be required.

[bigheadfred]

Do cars like that contain internal baffles?

Yes they do. They use the word gate instead of gates and the load is relatively low at 30 tons. That seems to infer a smaller, single gate car. I went and looked.

The newer grain hopper cars can haul up to 100 tons (220,000 lbs) of wheat fully loaded, almost the same as for the coal cars, which would translate to approximately 130 tons (286,600 lbs) per car

[Kamaji]

Thanks all. 

[Smokin Joe]

Thanks all.

Just look for the tracks with the really tall weeds growing in between the rails (like the grass over the septic tank).

[catfish1957]

The 1947 ship explosion in Texas City of a load of AN, is credited as the largest man made non-nuclear explosion in history.  21,000 Metric Tons ignited., and flattened miles around the dock.  I remember relatives telling me they heard the blast where they lived over 200 miles away.