1. Typical accidents that occurred in April 2024
Inner Mongolia Ulan Tai'an Energy and Chemical Co., Ltd. "4.19" large poisoning accident
On April 19, 2024, a poisoning accident occurred in the coal storage and transportation workshop of Inner Mongolia Ulan Tai'an Energy and Chemical Co., Ltd., resulting in four deaths and one injury. After preliminary investigation, one operator fainted when entering the pipeline well (about 2m deep) and closing the valve, and four people went down to the well to rescue later, resulting in four deaths and one injury. Initial analysis was hydrogen sulfide poisoning. The exact cause is under investigation.
2. Hazardous chemical accidents that occurred in May in history
(1) Domestic accidents
Petrochemical
Sinopec Shanghai SECCO Company "5.12" large flash explosion accident
On May 12, 2018, Sinopec Shanghai SECCO Petrochemical Co., Ltd. had a flash explosion accident during the inspection and maintenance of benzene tanks, resulting in 6 deaths. The direct cause of the accident was that the aluminum alloy floating tank assembly of the floating roof storage tank in 75-TK-0201 had internal leakage (benzene), and the benzene in the floating tank leaked on the bottom plate of the storage tank and was not cleaned up in time during the removal of the floating tank. Due to the volatile benzene and the lack of effective ventilation in the closed environment of the storage tank, the flammable benzene vapor is mixed with air to form an explosive atmosphere, and the local concentration reaches the explosion limit. In the process of dismantling the pontoon tank by the operators in the tank, the non-explosion-proof tools used and the ignition energy that may be generated in the operation process will be deflagrated in case of mixed gas, and the high temperature generated by the combustion will melt other aluminum alloy pontoons, so that the benzene accumulated in the pontoon tank will leak out and cause continuous combustion.
Sinopec Lanzhou Petrochemical Company "5.29" large fire accident
On May 29, 2006, a fire accident occurred in the organic plant of PetroChina Lanzhou Petrochemical Company in Lanzhou, Gansu Province, resulting in 4 deaths and 11 injuries. The direct cause of the accident was that the anitililine unit of the organic plant was overhauled, and after the materials in the device were replaced, the cleaning and maintenance operation of the device began, and the benzene leakage of the waste acid recovery unit caused by the open flame on the spot during the painting operation in the waste acid recovery unit of the aniline plant.
Liaoning Fushun Petrochemical Ethylene Chemical Company "5.16" large explosion accident
On May 16, 1997, an explosion occurred at Liaoning Fushun Petrochemical Ethylene Chemical Company, resulting in 4 deaths, 4 serious injuries, 27 minor injuries, and a direct economic loss of 4.26 million yuan. The direct cause of the accident was the failure of the ethylene oxide plant, the discharge of a large amount of combustible process circulating gas, the gas drifted downwind to the air separation device, and the suction inlet of the air separation device did not implement strict quality control, resulting in a large amount of methane and ethylene gas being sucked into the air separation device by the compressor, and the reaction with liquid oxygen caused an explosion.
Xinjiang Dushanzi Petrochemical General Plant Refinery "5.7" large flash explosion accident
On May 7, 1988, a flash explosion accident occurred at the refinery of Xinjiang Dushanzi Petrochemical General Plant, killing five people and injuring one. The direct cause of the accident is: the water supply and drainage workshop of the refinery pumps the sewage from the grease trap of the sewage lifting pump room of the second circulating water section to the collection tank according to the plant overhaul plan, and the electrician goes to the grease trap to connect the submersible pump to electricity, the sewage of the grease trap contains a large number of light oil components, with the increase of the outside temperature, the volatilization of combustible gas increases and gathers, and after two days of continuous pumping operation, the liquid level in the pool drops, and the air pours in, forming an explosive mixture. The operator lifted the pump under live conditions, which caused the cable to ignite and the explosive mixture to explode.
Coal chemical industry
Sichuan Guangyuan Tiansen Coal Chemical Company "5.2" large explosion accident
On May 2, 2014, an explosion occurred at Sichuan Guangyuan Tiansen Coal Chemical Company, resulting in three deaths and a direct economic loss of 2.6 million yuan. The direct cause of the accident was that 3 construction personnel were organized to install a drainage pump on the oil separation sedimentation tank (20 meters long, 10 meters wide, 3.5 meters high, and covered with color steel plates).
Fine chemicals
Shandong Liaocheng Luxi Chemical "5.1" major explosion and fire accident
At about 8:36 on May 1, 2023, the No. 1 hydrogen peroxide plant of Shandong Liaocheng Luxi Chemical Hydrogen Peroxide New Material Technology Co., Ltd. exploded and caught fire, resulting in 10 deaths, 1 injury, and a direct economic loss of 54.45 million yuan. The direct cause of the accident was that the operator pumped a large amount of 70% hydrogen peroxide when pumping a small amount of working liquid floating on the surface of 70% hydrogen peroxide in the finished tank to the working fluid preparation kettle; The oxidation solution and working solution (recovered from the trench) originally stored in the working liquid preparation kettle contain impurities such as alumina powder, palladium catalyst powder, and dust; These impurities cause the heat of release of high-concentration hydrogen peroxide, which leads to the increase of temperature in the kettle, the acceleration of hydrogen peroxide decomposition and the increase of pressure, and finally leads to the violent decomposition and explosion of high-concentration hydrogen peroxide, and the violent condensation phase explosion of high-concentration hydrogen peroxide and working fluid system, resulting in the crushing disintegration of the working fluid preparation kettle.
Shandong Zibo Baoyuan Chemical Co., Ltd. "5.28" large explosion accident
On May 28, 2011, an explosion occurred in Shandong Zibo Baoyuan Chemical Co., Ltd., resulting in 3 deaths, 8 injuries and direct economic losses of 4.5 million yuan. The direct cause of the accident was that in the crude distillation process of the distillation section of the nitromethane workshop, when the raw materials were put into the retort, the low boiling point was not added, and the distillation time was too long, and the distillation tank was in a low liquid level state, forming more solid residues on the inner wall of the tank. Under the condition of continuous heating of the retort, the solid residue on the wall of the retort undergoes thermal decomposition and explodes, causing the explosion and combustion of the gas and residual liquid in the tank.
Jiangsu Jiangyin Songqiao Chemical Plant "5.18" large fire accident
On May 18, 1995, a fire accident occurred in the production of p-nitrobenzoic acid at Songqiao Chemical Plant in Jiangyin, Jiangsu, resulting in 4 deaths, 3 serious injuries and direct economic losses of 106,000 yuan. The direct cause of the accident was: after it was found that there was a leak in the sealing packing of the rotating shaft of the agitator of the oxidation kettle, the deputy director of the production plant instructed the workers to tighten the bolt with a wrench, but it was not successful, but it led to a more serious leakage, and the materials in the kettle (its composition is mainly acetic acid) were sprayed out in large quantities from the leakage, forming an explosive mixed gas with air, and the spark of metal impact caused deflagration, forming a fire.
Organic Chemicals
Jiangxi Jiujiang Jinjiu Renewable Resources Co., Ltd. "5.23" large poisoning and suffocation accident
On May 23, 2023, a poisoning and suffocation accident occurred in the pyrolysis workshop of Jiangxi Jiujiang Jinjiu Renewable Resources Co., Ltd., resulting in three deaths. The direct cause of the accident is that the 4# cracking furnace of the 201 pyrolysis workshop has been in a relatively closed state since it was shut down on May 13, 2023, and the carbon monoxide (slightly lighter than air) produced by cracking has accumulated in the furnace. On May 23, 1 operator entered the 4# pyrolysis furnace in violation of regulations, and carbon monoxide poisoning occurred, and the night shift leader and workshop leader of the pyrolysis workshop blindly entered the furnace to rescue without taking any safety protection measures, and all 3 people died of carbon monoxide inhalation and suffocation due to poisoning.
Shanxi Yuncheng Shengao Chemical Co., Ltd. "5.31" large explosion accident
On May 31, 2022, an explosion occurred at Shanxi Yuncheng Shengao Chemical Co., Ltd., killing three people and injuring three others. The direct cause of the accident is that there are major defects in the layout of the workshop, and there are underground pools and pipe ditches in the Class A workshop, and the sparks splashed during the cutting operation cause the mixed gas formed by combustible gas and air in the pipe ditch and the closed underground pool to ignite.
China National Chemical Corporation Cangzhou Dahua TDI Co., Ltd. "5.11" large explosion accident
On May 11, 2007, an explosion occurred in the nitrification unit of the TDI workshop of Cangzhou Dahua TDI Co., Ltd. of China National Chemical Corporation, killing 5 people, injuring 80 others, and evacuating thousands of people from nearby villages. The direct cause of the accident was that when the nitrification system of the TDI workshop was abnormal, due to the excessive nitrification of nitric acid during the acid replenishment operation, the toluene was fed, resulting in the pernitrification reaction of the nitrification system and the generation of dinitrotoluene and trinitrotoluene (TNT). The pernitrification reaction releases a large amount of heat, which causes the temperature of the static separator to rise and lose its normal separation effect, and the organic and inorganic phases are mixed. The mixture flows into the mononitrotoluene storage tank and the waste acid storage tank and continues to react, the temperature of the static separator and the storage tank rises rapidly, the nitride explodes at high temperature, and the toluene storage tank ignites and explodes.
Chongqing Changshou Chemical General Plant sewage pool "5.4" major explosion accident
On May 4, 1987, an explosion occurred in the sewage treatment workshop of Chongqing Changshou Chemical General Plant, resulting in 12 deaths, 6 injuries and direct economic losses of 1.51 million yuan. The direct cause of the accident was that the deputy manager of the company was asked by telephone to obtain verbal permission to start welding the flange of the sewage treatment diversion tank without going through the hot work procedures. The welding spark ignited the flammable materials in the diversion tank, causing a fire, which in turn led to the explosion of flammable gases such as vinyl acetylene, acetaldehyde, and acetylene in the sewage treatment tank.
Inorganic chemicals
Shanxi Jincheng Yangcheng County Ruixing Chemical Co., Ltd. "5.16" large poisoning accident
On May 16, 2015, a poisoning accident occurred in Shanxi Jincheng Ruixing Chemical Co., Ltd., resulting in 8 deaths and 6 injuries. The direct cause of the accident was: when the workers were disposing of the leakage of the carbon disulfide cooling pipeline in the cooling pool, they entered the cooling pool for maintenance without applying for a confined space operation ticket and wearing protective equipment, resulting in poisoning and fainting (coke reacts with sulfur to produce carbon disulfide gas, a by-product of hydrogen sulfide, both of which exist at the same time in the condensation process of the cooling pool), and other personnel blindly rescue, resulting in the expansion of the accident.
Shandong Dezhou Petrochemical Plant "5.9" liquid chlorine cylinder large explosion accident
On May 9, 1985, a liquid chlorine cylinder explosion occurred at the Dezhou Petrochemical Plant in Shandong Province, killing three people and seriously injuring two others. The direct cause of the accident was that the liquid chlorine section of the electrolysis workshop of the chemical plant had been filled with six 0.5-ton liquid chlorine cylinders, and when the seventh cylinder was about to be filled, the cylinder suddenly exploded. The gas cylinder that exploded was an old gas cylinder purchased by the factory in 1984, and before filling with liquid chlorine, the operator found that a colorless and transparent viscous liquid was flowing out of the cylinder, but did not pay attention to it, and pushed the cylinder onto the liquid chlorine filling platform and placed it, and then it was mistakenly filled with liquid chlorine. Due to the violent chemical reaction between the residual aromatic hydrocarbons in the cylinder (the colorless and transparent viscous liquid was identified as aromatic hydrocarbons after the accident) and the liquid chlorine, high temperature and high pressure were generated, resulting in the overpressure explosion of the gas cylinder.
medicine
Jiangxi Ji'an Ganhui Pharmaceutical and Chemical Co., Ltd. "5.8" large explosion accident
On May 8, 2007, an explosion occurred in the condensation workshop of Jiangxi Ji'an Ganhui Pharmaceutical and Chemical Co., Ltd., killing 3 people and injuring 12 others. The direct cause of the accident is that due to the improper operation of the operator (closing the cooling gate valve and increasing the temperature of the reactor), the reaction is intense, resulting in a sudden increase in the temperature of the material in the kettle (o-nitrotoluene and ethyl formate mixture), and the reaction is out of control to produce the flush, and the process device is not equipped with an over-temperature interlocking device and safety facilities for handling the reactor flushing, resulting in a large number of flammable and explosive substances burning and exploding after being sprayed.
Shandong Heze Keda Pharmaceutical Chemical Co., Ltd. "5.27" large explosion accident
On May 27, 2005, an explosion occurred in Shandong Heze Keda Pharmaceutical Chemical Co., Ltd., resulting in 6 deaths and 1 injury. The direct cause of the accident was that in the process of trial production of pharmaceutical intermediates, when the No. 4 reactor in the west workshop was nitrified at low temperature, due to the operator's rapid feeding and untimely heat exchange, the kettle was overheated, which caused a violent chemical reaction of nitride in the reactor, which eventually led to an explosion.
chemical fertilizer
Shanxi Luliang Xuanpu Fertilizer Co., Ltd. "5.18" heat conduction oil furnace deflagration accident
On May 18, 2022, a heat conduction oil furnace deflagration accident occurred at Shanxi Luliang Xuancao Fertilizer Co., Ltd., resulting in 3 deaths and 2 injuries. The direct cause of the accident was: the accident unit repaired the heat conduction oil furnace burner in violation of regulations, the pneumatic ball valve was selected incorrectly, the pneumatic actuator could not close the ball valve after opening, and the mixing ratio of air and gas in the furnace reached the explosion limit during the burner purging stage, which caused the furnace to explode when the program controller ran to the ignition position.
Anhui Fuyang Haoyuan Chemical Group Co., Ltd. "5.11" large poisoning and suffocation accident
On May 11, 2022, a poisoning and suffocation accident occurred during the maintenance operation of the slag lock bucket in the gasification workshop of Anhui Haoyuan Chemical Group Co., Ltd., resulting in 3 deaths and a direct economic loss of 5.6 million yuan. The direct cause of the accident was: the ventilation in the slag lock bucket was not thorough, the relevant operators did not conscientiously implement the relevant provisions of the safety management of confined space operations, and when handling the confined space operation ticket, the sampling personnel did not take samples in accordance with the relevant requirements, and failed to detect that the carbon dioxide gas concentration at the bottom of the slag lock bucket exceeded the standard, and the operators did not implement the relevant safety measures when entering the slag lock bucket operation, and the safety measures confirmer did not confirm the safety measures one by one, resulting in suffocation and death.
Inner Mongolia Hulunbuir Jinxin Chemical Co., Ltd. "5.15" large suffocation accident
On May 15, 2012, a suffocation accident occurred at Jinxin Chemical Co., Ltd. in Chenbalhuqi Industrial Park, Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia, resulting in three deaths and two injuries. The direct cause of the accident was that 5 workers in the gas production workshop were reaming the slag hole in the quenching room of the No. 2 gasifier, 1 worker suffocated nitrogen in the confined space, and the remaining 4 people carried out rescue without taking effective protective measures, resulting in 3 deaths and 2 injuries.
Hebei Xuanhua Fertilizer Plant "5.20" heat exchanger large explosion accident
On May 20, 1994, an explosion occurred in the heat exchanger of the conversion section of the purification workshop of Hebei Xuanhua Fertilizer Plant, resulting in 8 deaths, 2 serious injuries, 1 minor injury, and a direct economic loss of 1.3 million yuan. The direct cause of the accident is that due to the chemical corrosion and gas erosion of the medium in the heat exchanger pipe, the pipeline is seriously thinned and leaked, the T-shaped pipe at the inlet of the heat exchanger suddenly bursts, and a large number of mixed gases containing combustible gases and toxic and harmful gases are sprayed at high speed, which are ignited by electrostatic sparks, and then cause space gas explosions.
pesticide
Shandong Dezhou Pesticide Factory "5.24" large poisoning accident
On May 24, 1994, a hydrogen sulfide poisoning accident occurred at Shandong Dezhou Pesticide Factory, resulting in three deaths and three poisonings. The direct cause of the accident was: in the production process, the lye was used to absorb hydrogen sulfide, due to the operator's misoperation, the lye flowed into the buffer tank, and then the operator misoperated again, opened the valve at the bottom of the buffer tank to release the lye, and the hydrogen sulfide escaped, causing many people to be poisoned.
other
Hebei Cangzhou Lixing Special Rubber Co., Ltd. "5.13" chlorine poisoning accident
On May 13, 2017, a chlorine gas leak occurred at Hebei Cangzhou Lixing Special Rubber Co., Ltd., resulting in 2 deaths and 25 hospitalizations. The direct causes of the accident were: failure to use liquid chlorine cylinders in accordance with the design requirements of safety facilities, illegal use of liquid chlorine storage tanks, illegal transformation of special equipment, and illegal installation of electric heating rings on liquid chlorine pressure pipelines, resulting in the corrosion of the pressure pipeline wall in a high-temperature environment and accelerated and thinned, and finally could not withstand the pressure in the pipe, and ruptured, resulting in a large amount of liquid chlorine leakage.
(2) Accidents abroad
A major styrene spill accident at LG Polymers Co., Ltd. in India
On May 7, 2020, 13 people were killed and more than 5,000 people felt unwell after a styrene spill occurred at LG Polymers Ltd. in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India. The direct cause of the accident was: affected by the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the device was shut down for more than a month, and when it was preparing to start, due to the high local temperature, the styrene self-polymerization and heat release in the 2000-ton capacity storage tank caused the temperature in the storage tank to continue to rise, and the styrene was vaporized and discharged. Because the leak occurred in the early hours of the morning, no one dealt with it in time, and there was no wind in the area, the styrene vapor slowly spread along the ground to a distance of two kilometers around, and the external safety protection distance was insufficient (only 250 meters from the nearest residential area of the factory), resulting in many poisonings.
A particularly serious explosion of an oil pipeline in Lagos, Nigeria
On May 15, 2008, an oil pipeline in Ijagaon, Lagos, Nigeria, burst and leaked due to improper construction of a bulldozer, causing a fire and explosion of fuel oil, killing more than 100 people and injuring dozens more. The immediate cause of the accident was that a heavy bulldozer carrying out road construction in Ijagaon accidentally burst an oil pipeline buried in the ground, and the fuel leak immediately caused a fire and explosion, which affected a nearby primary school and other buildings, and destroyed at least 15 houses and 20 cars.
Particularly major explosion at Shell's Norco refinery in Louisiana, USA
On May 5, 1988, an explosion occurred at the catalytic cracking unit (CCU) at the Shell Norco refinery in Norco, Louisiana, USA, killing seven people, injuring 48 others, evacuating more than 4,500 residents in nearby communities, and causing losses of up to $700 million. The immediate cause of the accident was the corrosion and leakage of a 200 mm diameter gas pipeline in the depropane tower, which released about 7,700 kilograms of hydrocarbon vapor in about 30 seconds. The source of the ignition may have been the furnace of the unit, and the explosion simulations indicated that the center of the explosion was located between the depropane unit and the CCU control room.
Source: Ministry of Emergency Management of the People's Republic of China
Editor/Producer: Yin Yueming
Reviewer: Zhu Xinkai
Review: Liu Chunxiang