TPC Group Plant Fire

12.10.19

Dr. Bozic showed our class that process safety really is constantly in the news. In Por Neches, not too far from Houston Texas, there was an unbelievable explosion at a chemical plant. At the TPC Group plant at least three employees were known to be injured directly from the explosion but many more people are expected to be injured as a result of battling the flames and breathing in the toxic fumes. Residents of the town said that the explosion blew out their home windows and they could notice an orange glow. In a video of the event a large distillation tower can be seen flying during the explosions. The fire burned from over a week on the 218 acre facilities.

The plant fire is being fueled by butadiene. Butadiene is colorless but poses a large health risk. It's used to make synthetic plastics and other polymeric materials. It has a really high volatility, and the vapors can suffocate and smother an individual easliy. As many as 60,000 people had to be temporarily evacuated from the surrounding communities. This specific plant produced ~426,000 tons of butadiene annually (which is 16 perrcent of the United States' capacity). The plant was built in the 1940s and had asbestos debris strewn around the community when it exploded. The plant also had a long list of past "high priority" environmental and safety violations before the accident.