Friday, April 27, 2012

Three Fires Result From An Explosion.....


The Aluminium Association classifies molten aluminium explosions in three categories, Force 1, Force 2, Force 3. A force 1 explosion is the least severe in regards to equipment damage and workers being injured. These explosions are characterized by metal thrown a short distance, usually up to about 4.5 meters and often less than 4.5 kilograms, with minimal or no property damage. Force 1 explosions are sometimes referred to as "pops". It is important for the industry to acknowledge that small molten metal explosions are dangerous. History has shown time and time again that a smaller explosion can lead to larger more severe explosion. This is a story of a force 1 explosion that resulted in molten metal being sprayed/splashed upwards igniting on fire whatever the molten metal came into contact with. This incident illustrates how a force 1 explosion can result in a building being caught on fire.

The Doncasters Paralloy factory in Northeast England, was badly damaged by the fire during the night of Tuesday, March 6, which broke out just after 8pm.
Three different areas of the building caught fire when machinery malfunctioned, causing molten metal to escape.

The watch manager at Stockton Fire Station, said "The metal splashed upwards when it hit the floor, igniting everything a 50 tonne molten metal ladle, an overhead crane and the roof space. It was quite a difficult job because you can’t put water on molten metal, and the crane had nine kilovolts going through it, so we couldn’t put water on that either.
“We had to isolate the entire power supply before we could get some water onto it.”
The electricity supply to the whole plant had to be cut off before the fires could be tackled using high-powered water jets, and it took an hour for the blaze to be brought under control.
The Stockton Fire Station watch manager said no-one was injured due to the diligence of the staff at the site and the fire service. About 20 production workers were sent home and an inspection was carried out the following day. The area where the fires started remained closed, but most of the factory was reopened.
Please comment. 

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I couldn't find the details of the explosion such as ignition sources and explosive environment leadin to the explosion. Could you help?

Anonymous said...

Thank you for commenting, the ignition source may have been moisture on the concrete or steel substrate.

Anonymous said...

The below link dates back to 2005, yet provides timeless advice as to how to operate more safely. Often, it is the combination of multiple unsafe practices with poor housekeeping that starts a countdown to disaster.

http://www.csb.gov/newsroom/detail.aspx?nid=264

"This accident followed a classic syndrome we call 'NORMALIZATION OF DEVIATION,' in which organizations come to accept as 'normal' fires, leaks or so-called small explosions. The company failed to investigate the smaller fires as abnormal situations needing correction or as warnings of potentially larger more destructive events. The CSB almost always finds that this behavior precedes a tragedy."

Editor said...

A presentation was given in Sao Paulo last week and included a 30 second video clip of the world's largest dominoes in a line, then falling down. That clip emphasized that small incidents lead to larger incidents. In the case of the aluminium industry, small molten metal explosion always lead to larger explosions.Proper investigation of the root cause of an incident is necessary to eliminate re-occurrence.

Anonymous said...

Agreed -- as well as root cause analysis of "near misses," since these indicate the risks that eventually precipitate an incident. The ideal time to deal with an accident is before it happens.