GAS EXPLOSION

A 'Gas explosion' is the result of a gas leak in the presence of an ignition source.
Industrial gas explosions can be prevented with the use of intrinsic safety barriers to prevent ignition.

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Historic gas explosions

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Historic gas explosions

★ The New London School explosion occurred on March 18, 1937, when a natural gas leak caused an explosion, destroying the New London School of the city of New London, Texas. The disaster killed three hundred students and teachers.

★ The Cleveland East Ohio Gas Explosion occurred on the afternoon of Friday, October 20, 1944. The resulting gas leak, explosion and fires killed 130 people and destroyed a one square mile area on Cleveland, Ohio’s east side.

★ Ronan Point was a 23-storey council tower block in Newham, East London. On 16 May 1968 a gas explosion caused the collapse of a whole corner of the building. Four people were killed in the collapse, with one dying later of injuries.

★ In July 1988, 167 people died when Occidental Petroleum's Alpha offshore production platform, on the Piper field in the North Sea, exploded after a gas leak.

★ On January 17, 2001, natural gas stored underground in Hutchinson, Kansas leaked into empty brine caverns. Two explosions resulted from the leak. One destroyed 2 businesses and damaged 26 others. Another destroyed a trailer park killing two people. Sinkholes and gas leaks formed all around the city and the gas had to be slowly burned off.

★ On July 25, 2007, a series of explosions destroyed a Southwest Industrial Gases, Inc facility in downtown Dallas, Texas. Numerous canisters of acetylene and propane gas in the facility ingnited and were projected from the facility by the explosions. This resulted in the closing of nearby highways Interstate 30 and Interstate 35, an evacuation of the area, and two serious injuries. Fortunately, no casualties due to the incident have been reported. 1

External links

★ Intrinsic Safety Barriers