doi:10.3850/978-981-08-7724-8_07-06

ABSTRACT

A fatal accident took place in an onshore processing facility for slop water. The accident investigation revealed that the explosive atmosphere inside the tank was caused by bacterial hydrogen production in the liquid column inside the tank. The ignition source was most likely mechanical sparks produced by an angle grinder. The paper describes the accident investigation and lists a series of measures that can be taken to prevent similar accidents in the future.

Keywords: Explosion, Hydrogen, Storage tank, Slop water, Bacteria.

© 2011 CPD Unit, University of Leeds