Ammonia Engineroom Explosion

[Tycho]

Found this video filmed inside an ammonia compressor room.

Interesting to see how fast it went from something manageable to a complete melt down.

haven't found any info on what happened, I read somewhere someone was saying that it was a service valve on the HP receiver side of the king valve that broke off during a pump down cycle (material fatigue)



Keep an eye on the equipment behind the large cardboard box

[al]

Holy sheet, the first guy who walks in is obviously immune to the smell

In fairness though, how could you prevent it? someone trying to tighten that valve could have sheared it off?

[Grizzly]

Why did the Ammonia Alarm not shut down the shunt switch on the main electrical supplies?
I am assuming Ammonia, Copper windings and Electric shorts caused the fire?
Pure Guess.
Clear the area set up an exclusion zone and wait. Methinks!
This was a few years Back was it not? Tyco?
Cheers an interesting video all the same.
Grizzly

[Tycho]

Why did the Ammonia Alarm not shut down the shunt switch on the main electrical supplies?
I am assuming Ammonia, Copper windings and Electric shorts caused the fire?
Pure Guess.
Clear the area set up an exclusion zone and wait. Methinks!
This was a few years Back was it not? Tyco?
Cheers an interesting video all the same.
Grizzly

Apparently from 2017.

I've been searching for an investigation report, but haven't found anything.

Some guy on facebook (where I first saw the video) commented that he knew the site and that the Gas detectors had been bypassed and that the emergency ventilation fan was faulty, but it's pure guesswork.

The lights and everything should have switched off long before we saw visible vapour coming out of the vessel.

The guy also said that the guy that is called a Contractor in the video was not a contractor, but a mechanical guy employed at the plant.

Notice when the "maintenance worker" enters the scene at 06:22

He walks in, pauses in the middle of the room, then walks over to where the leak is, like right next to it... looks like he is taking a drag out of a cigarette, then walks out, saying "didn't smell anything out of the ordinary"

I know that for those of us that work with NH3, we get accustomed to tolerating higher levels than joe of the street, but if I had been an onsite caretaker and someone came to me and said there was an overpowering smell of ammonia, I would have gone in with sulfur sticks and not just the MK1. nose sensor

The "contractor" only came back into the room 24 minutes after the maintenance worker "didn't smell anything out of the ordinary" and at this time we can see the vapour coming out of the faulty valve.


Also notice at the end of the video, where all the workers are gathered... they are right in the blast zone, and you can see people running out onto the main road as the machinery room explodes.

I'd say the ammonia alarm evacuation zone should always be on the opposite side of the building from the machinery room, not closest to the road and emergency services, but as far away and with as much building mass as possible between me and the XXXX amount of toxic and explosive liquid as possible and preferably downwind from where I'm running

But that's just me

iamanammonia-refrigeration-technician-fyousee-merunning-try-to-keep-up-this-12687693.jpg

[RANGER1]

Some possible reasons based on trends

https://www.technicalsafetybc.ca/cas...ents-2007-2017

http://www.iifiir.org/userfiles/file...rd_2018_06.pdf