Massive Explosion In Texas, Video

Geico266

Geico266

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Reminds me of the Martin Marietta rocket-engine plant in the desert a couple of years ago. That one came with a visible seismic wave.

The BASF main plant in Ludwigshafen Germany has a street called 'Crater street'. It got it's name after a mishap in 1911 when a silo with 4500 metric tons of ammonium sulfate blew up creating a 1.5kT blast.

Then of course there was the Texas City explosion, similar mechanism.
 
My first thought was "Texas City all over again"....

Hope that the casualty count is low & that all our folks are OK.
 
I fear the death toll may rise...

...acquaintance's parents lived in he neighborhood adjacent to the road on which the plant is located, 3-4 blocks away. House is gone, leveled by the blast. Many are.
 
SkyHog said:
Really? Would you think it should be a requirement to commute a few hours to work at a fertilizer plant?
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Would you think that putting a fertilizer plant in a residential area next two schools and a nursing home is a good idea?

How about 15 miles away? That's a 5 minute drive in Texas. ;)
 
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its impossible to build anything in a town of 3000 people without being next to a residential area, schools, nursing home, and the hospital
 
SkyHog said:
Really? Would you think it should be a requirement to commute a few hours to work at a fertilizer plant?
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Couple of hours ? We are not in the age of horsedrawn carriages. In a car you cover 15 miles in 15min.
 
Geico266 said:
Why do they put fertilizer plants in the middle of towns? :mad2:
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Did the town "grow up" around the plant over time? Seen numerous examples of businesses being pretty isolated at the start, but over time the town expanded around them.

Gary
 
when you live in a town that size, 15 miles is a long commute. everything is relative.
 
Gary said:
Did the town "grow up" around the plant over time? Seen numerous examples of businesses being pretty isolated at the start, but over time the town expanded around them.

Gary
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Good point. I can't imagine building schools next to a fertilizer plant though. Someone thought it was a good idea. How's that working out now? :rofl:
 
Geico266 said:
Good point. I can't imagine building schools next to a fertilizer plant though. Someone thought it was a good idea. How's that working out now? :rofl:
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Apparently poorly! Examples like this are a good case for land zoning rules. Does seem pretty stupid to allow a school to be built next to a fertilizer plant. BTW, was it an actual fertilizer manufacturing plant or a distribution warehouse. Didn't see that specified.

Gary
 
Gary said:
Apparently poorly! Examples like this are a good case for land zoning rules. Does seem pretty stupid to allow a school to be built next to a fertilizer plant. BTW, was it an actual fertilizer manufacturing plant or a distribution warehouse. Didn't see that specified.

Gary
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Retail. They had assured the FEDS that it could not explode. :eek:
 
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Geico266 said:
Retail. They had assured the FEDS that it could not explode. :eek:
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What I heard earlier is that this was anhydrous ammonia, not ammonium nitrate. Anhydrous doesn't usually explode, but if you heat it up enough it will.
 
Gary said:
Did the town "grow up" around the plant over time? Seen numerous examples of businesses being pretty isolated at the start, but over time the town expanded around them.

Gary
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Yeah.... That same thing happens with airports too..:yes::rolleyes2:
 
weilke said:
What I heard earlier is that this was anhydrous ammonia, not ammonium nitrate. Anhydrous doesn't usually explode, but if you heat it up enough it will.
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Yuppers........

And , the defination of Anhydrous means "without water".. the firemen were pouring water on a product that HATES water.....

Results........


BOOM.........
 
weilke said:
What I heard earlier is that this was anhydrous ammonia, not ammonium nitrate. Anhydrous doesn't usually explode, but if you heat it up enough it will.
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When I went through hazmat training (many) years ago, one of the case studies was an anhydrous ammonia explosion caused by firefighters putting water on it. The video of the fireman getting blown off the ladder is burned into my memory. I suspect this may be the cause here too. If so, it was a huge mistake, either by the firemen or the folks who reported to the fireman what chemicals were at the facility.

The images from West are amazing, and awful.
 
N801BH said:
Yuppers........

And , the defination of Anhydrous means "without water".. the firemen were pouring water on a product that HATES water.....

Results........


BOOM.........
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Too soon to say, anhydrous is a gas stored in big tanks, under pressure. Not sure how water could have gotten to it. One thing is for certain, there was a Texas size BOOM for sure!
 
N801BH said:
And , the defination of Anhydrous means "without water".. the firemen were pouring water on a product that HATES water.....
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It actually loves water, turns into 'hydrous' ammonia. I believe that reaction is exothermic, iirc it is the 'absorber' side of a ammonia cycle refrigeration system (the hot coil on the back of the refrigerator).
 
weilke said:
It actually loves water, turns into 'hydrous' ammonia. I believe that reaction is exothermic, iirc it is the 'absorber' side of a ammonia cycle refrigeration system (the hot coil on the back of the refrigerator).
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ha.....

Let the others know what " Exothermic" means......:eek:
 
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N801BH said:
It did that............:yes::hairraise:
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As mentioned, liquid anhydrous is under pressure and inside of a pressure vessel (in corn-country, you frequently see farmers towing a 1000gal tank down the road behind a pickup). It's not like you have a wad or pool of the stuff and you can pour water into it. Just like with propane or gasoline tanks that are affected by fire, you are pouring water on them from a distance to keep them cold enough for them not to burst or flash. Your water is not coming into contact with the chemical itself.
 
weilke said:
As mentioned, liquid anhydrous is under pressure and inside of a pressure vessel (in corn-country, you frequently see farmers towing a 1000gal tank down the road behind a pickup). It's not like you have a wad or pool of the stuff and you can pour water into it. Just like with propane or gasoline tanks that are affected by fire, you are pouring water on them from a distance to keep them cold enough for them not to burst or flash. Your water is not coming into contact with the chemical itself.
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Unless the pressure vessel bursts...:rolleyes:
 
i don't think any water from a firehose was a significant factor after the pressure vessel burst
 
Time will tell..... You can bet there will be a complete investigation.:yes:..

Ammonium Nitrate fertilizer needs a catalyst to explode, like being mixed with diesel fuel...AFAIK...:dunno:
 
Jeff Oslick said:
When I went through hazmat training (many) years ago, one of the case studies was an anhydrous ammonia explosion caused by firefighters putting water on it. The video of the fireman getting blown off the ladder is burned into my memory. I suspect this may be the cause here too. If so, it was a huge mistake, either by the firemen or the folks who reported to the fireman what chemicals were at the facility.

The images from West are amazing, and awful.
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Unfortunately it sounds like these volunteers did not receive that kind of training. :(

"He said the local firefighters had never specifically prepared to battle a fertilizer-plant fire. "Every town in a rural area has one," he said. "It is a ticking time bomb that went off yesterday.""

Story is behind the WSJ paywall, so this link may/may not work.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324493704578429943017835664.html
 
N801BH said:
Ammonium Nitrate fertilizer needs a catalyst to explode, like being mixed with diesel fuel...AFAIK...:dunno:
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Not necessarily. Neither the Texas City nor the Oppau explosions had that mixture. One was a ammonium sulphate/nitrate mix, Texas City was pure nitrate (and some binding agent, packing paper etc).
If you heat it up enough and subject it to a concussive effect, it will explode without a substrate to oxydize. It works better mixed with some diesel (and forms a common commercial explosive used in mining and quarrying), but it will blow without a substrate.
 
weilke said:
Not necessarily. Neither the Texas City nor the Oppau explosions had that mixture. One was a ammonium sulphate/nitrate mix, Texas City was pure nitrate (and some binding agent, packing paper etc).
If you heat it up enough and subject it to a concussive effect, it will explode without a substrate to oxydize. It works better mixed with some diesel (and forms a common commercial explosive used in mining and quarrying), but it will blow without a substrate.
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Thanks.... I didn't know that...:no:
 
Gary said:
Did the town "grow up" around the plant over time? Seen numerous examples of businesses being pretty isolated at the start, but over time the town expanded around them.

Gary
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Fertilizer plants tend to promote growth.
Just sayin'
:)
 
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