An April 11, 2003, vessel explosion at the D.D. Williamson & Co., Inc. (DDW), plant in Louisville, Kentucky, killed one operator. The explosion damaged the western end of the facility and released 26,000 pounds of aqua ammonia (29.4 percent ammonia solution in water), forcing the evacuation of as many as 26 residents and requiring 1,500Continue reading “D.D. Williamson Catastrophic Vessel Failure 2003”
Material Category Archives:
Goodyear Heat Exchanger Rupture 2008
On June 10, 2008, Goodyear operators closed an isolation valve between the heat exchanger shell (ammonia cooling side) and a relief valve to replace a burst rupture disk under the relief valve that provided over-pressure protection. Maintenance workers replaced the rupture disk on that day; however, the closed isolation valve was not reopened. On theContinue reading “Goodyear Heat Exchanger Rupture 2008”
Millard Refrigerated Services Toxic Release 2010
On August 23, 2010, at the Millard Refrigerated Services facility in Theodore, Alabama, hydraulic shock caused a roof-mounted 12-inch suction pipe to catastrophically fail leading to the release of more than 32,000 pounds of anhydrous ammonia. The hydraulic shock was enabled during the restart of the plant’s ammonia refrigeration system following a 7-hour power outage.Continue reading “Millard Refrigerated Services Toxic Release 2010”
Magellan Pipeline Toxic Release 2016
On October 17, 2016, shortly after 9:00 p.m. local time, an 8-inch-diameter underground transmission pipeline ruptured and released 2,587 barrels (108,654 gallons) of liquid anhydrous ammonia on private property adjacent to milepost (MP) 263.32 on County Road P in Burt County, near Tekamah, Nebraska. The pipeline was owned and operated by Magellan Midstream Partners, LP,Continue reading “Magellan Pipeline Toxic Release 2016”