TEXAS CITY REFINERY EXPLOSION

(25TH MARCH 2005)

2:00 A.M

- Isomerization unit operators began introducing highly flammable liquid hydrocarbons

into the raffinate splitter tower.
- 6 and a half feet liquid should be present in the bottom of the tower.
- There was a level indicator that measure how much the liquid was inside the tower and
transmitted the information to the control room.
- This indicator was not design to measure any liquid above 10 feet mark and above that
point operators would have no idea how high and dangerous the level was.
- A high level alarm was activated and sounded in the control room and the tower was
overfilled but the second redundant alarm failed to activate.

3:30 A.M

- The feed was stopped and the level indicator showed that the liquid had filled the bottom
10 feet of the tower.
- This shows that the level indicator was not providing accurate readings.
- They believed that the indicator level about 13 feet.

9:50 A.M

- Operating began circulating the liquid feed and adding more liquid to the already full
tower of liquid.
- There was no flow out of the liquid in the tower.
- The valve that control the liquid flow out of the tower was left closed.
10:00 A.M

- Operators lit burners on the furnace to begin heating up the feed ( part of the normal
process )
- The tower continue to fill rapidly with liquid more than 20 times than the normal level.
- The level reached for about 138 feet inside the tower from the bottom of the tank.
- But the inaccurate level indicator told the operators that the liquid was below 10 feet and
falling.

12:40 P.M

- High pressure alarm was activated

- 2 burners was turned of in the furnace to lower the temperature of the liquid in the
furnace
- The valve specified in the procedure for controlling pressure didn’t work so the operators
use manual chain valve to vent gases to the blowdown drum and into the atmosphere.

1:00 P.M

- Operators open the valve to send liquid from the bottom of the tower to the storage tank.
- The liquid of the bottom of the tower is very hot and was exerted through the heat
exchanger
- The liquid suddenly raised the temperature of the feed going into the tower by 150 degree
C

1:05 P.M

- The liquid entering the tower was begin to boil and expand causing the level inside the
tower to increase further.
1:10 P.M

- The tower began overfilling liquid into the piping off the top of the tower
- The liquid exerted into the pipe with great pressure on the emergency relief valve 150
feet below.

1:14 P.M

- The 3 emergency valve open and the liquid began flooding the blowdown drum at the
other end of the isomerization unit.
- Some liquid overflowed from the blowdown drum into a process sewer but the high level
alarm on the blowdown drum didn’t go off.
- The drum filled completely and bystanders saw a geyser like eruption from the top of the
blowdown stack.
- The eruption last about 1 hour.
- The liquid fell to the ground creating a large flammable vapor cloud.

1:20 P.M

- The cloud ignited a causing a series of explosion.

- The CSB (Chemical Safety Board) believe the vapor cloud most likely ignited by diesel
pickup truck parked about 25 feet from the blowdown drum.
- The blast pressure wave was accelerating as it moves through the isomerization units
causing heavy destruction and ignited more fires.

Aftermath.

- 15 were killed
- 180 were injured
- 2 trailers were destroyed
- Fire continues ( blowdown stack still emitting the hydrocarbon )
- Several vehicles were set on fire and burnt
- Over 50 large storage tanks were damage.