09 May 2006
The Buncefield investigation board have just released it's third progress report. In this report they identify that on the day of the incident one of the tanks was in the process of been filled via a pipeline. The instrumentation on the tank that indicates the tank level appears not to have functioned and continued to show the same level reading. The overfill protection device that should have sent an alarm and shut down the pumping operation also appears not to have functioned. The result is that the tank started overflowing with unleaded petrol at about 05:20. This continued at a rate of 550 m3/hr increasing to 890 m3/hr just seven minutes before the incident. The petrol pooled (over 300 tonnes) in the bund area and the resulting vapour cloud migrated towards the neighbouring buildings to the northwest (Northgate and Fuji) and at 06:01 the first explosion occurred, ignited by an undetermined source. The first explosion then set off a number of secondary explosions.
Full details are given in the report which can be found by clicking on the link above. It is going to be interesting to see if they can determine how and why there was multiple failings on the instrumentation that should have prevent an overfilling. |
