1989 — Oct 23, Gas Leak Explosion, Phillips Petroleum Company, Pasadena, TX — 23
— 23 Bethea. Explosion and Fire at the Phillips Company…Complex, Pasadena, TX. P. 2.
— 23 History.com. This Day in History, Disaster, October 23, 1989
— 23 Khan & Abbasi. “Major Accidents in Process Industries…,” LPPI Journal, Vol. 12, 1999.
— 23 USFA. Phillips Petroleum Chemical Plant Explosion and Fire, Pasadena, Texas. 2007, 1.
Narrative Information
History.com: “On this day in 1989, 23 people die in a series of explosions sparked by an ethylene leak at a factory in Pasadena, Texas. The blasts, which took place at a Phillips Petroleum Company plant, were caused by inadequate safety procedures.
“A polyethylene reactor at the Phillips 66 Chemical Complex in Pasadena created chemical compounds necessary for the production of plastics. The plant produced millions of pounds of plastics daily for use in toys and containers…. [a maintenance subcontractor] was undertaking maintenance work on the plant’s polyethylene reactor on October 23 when…problems arose. A valve was not secured properly, and at approximately 1 p.m., 85,000 pounds of highly flammable ethylene-isobutane gas were released into the plant. There were no detectors or warning systems in place to give notice of the impending disaster. Within two minutes, the large gas cloud ignited with the power of two-and-a-half tons of dynamite.
“The explosion could be heard for miles in every direction and the resulting fireball was visible at least 15 miles away. Twenty-three workers at Phillips were killed and another 130 were seriously injured as the first explosion set off a chain reaction of blasts.”
(History.com. This Day in History, October 23, 1989. “Gas Leak Kills 23 at Plastics Factory.”)
Khan and Abbasi: “The explosion at the Phillips petrochemical…plant in Pasadena, Texas, on 23 October 1989 is one of the worst industrial accidents of the last 10 years. The immediate cause was simple: a length of pipe was opened up to clear a choke without bothering to see that the isolation valve (which was operated by compressed air) had not been closed. The air hoses which supplied power to the valve were connected up the wrong way around so the valve was open when its actuator was in the closed position. Identical couplings were used for the two connections so it was easy to reverse them. According to company procedure they should have been disconnected during maintenance but they were not. The valve could be locked open or closed but this hardly mattered as the lock was missing. The explosion occurred less than 2 minutes after the leak started and two iso-butane tanks exploded 15 minutes later. The explosive force was equivalent to 2.4 t of TNT; 23 people—all employees–were killed and over 130 injured. Nearly 40 t of ethylene gas leaked and exploded.” (Khan & Abbasi. “Major Accidents in Process Industries…,” LPPI Journal, Vol. 12, 1999.)
Lloyd, Creson and D’Antonio: “This paper describes a petrochemical plant disaster, its impact on the psychological functioning of plant employees and their families, and the mental heatlth interventions which were organized to minimize the adverse mental health effects of the disaster event…. [p. 281]
“On the 23rd of October, 1989, at 1:03 p.m., an alarm sounded at the Phillips 66 Houston Chemical Complex in Pasadena, Texas. What followed was the worst industrial disaster since the formation of the United States Occupational, Health and Safety Administration. The full terror of the event is hard to convey.
“What prompted the sounding of the alarm was a large vapor release from a reactor in the Polyethylene portion of the plant. This vapor release was observed only by workers in the immediate vicinity. They began to flee for their lives, fearing that something would provide the spark necessary to ignite the release. And indeed the release was ignited, beginning a series of explosions which was followed by a large fireball lifting into the sky….
“It was not until the second day, after the fire had been extinguished that recovery operations began and the devastating nature of the disaster became fully apparent….Eventually we learned that 23 individuals had died inn the tragic event. Over 130 persons were initially reported injured, with 34 individuals being transported to hospitals, 5 or 6 of whom were seriously injured….
“Workers waited for days, then weeks, then months before all the dead were finally identified…. [pp. 281-282]
“Results of the safety investigation would not be released for nearly six months….” [p. 283.]
USFA Overview: “During the course of operations at the Phillips Petroleum Houston Chemical Complex in Pasadena, Texas, on October 23, 1989, an explosion and ensuing fire occurred which resulted in 23 known dead and one missing. In addition, more than 100 other people were injured in varying degrees. Metal and concrete debris was found as far as six miles away following the explosion.
“Information available at the time of this report indicated that there was a failure in either a line or valve which carried ethylene and/or isobutene. The line was reported as being approximately 10 inches in diameter and possibly carrying as much as 700 pounds per square inch pressure. It is not known if a mechanical failure took place or if human error was a factor. Regardless, a failure of a high pressure line carrying these types of flammable products can create a large, enveloping, explosive cloud within seconds.
“Information from witnesses indicates that a vapor cloud developed very quickly and that workers had approximately 60 to 90 seconds to evacuate. Potential ignition sources were all over the plant, including ventilation fans, electrical switches, and gas burn-off flames throughout the work area. The exact ignition source may never be known….” (USFA. Phillips Petroleum Chemical Plant Explosion and Fire, Pasadena, Texas. No date, pp. 1-2.)
Sources
Bethea, Robert M. Explosion and Fire at the Phillips Company Houston Chemical Complex, Pasadena, TX. Lubbock, TX: Texas Tech University, Chemical Engineering Department, 9-2-2003 modification. Accessed 5-12-2016 at: http://www.mpri.lsu.edu/workshop/SACHE%20Text.pdf
History.com. This Day in History, Disaster, October 23, 1989. “Gas Leak Kills 23 at Plastics Factory.” Accessed 5-12-2016 at: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history.do?action=Landing&displayDate=10/23&categoryId=disaster
Khan, Faisal I. and S.A. Abbasi. “Major Accidents in Process Industries and an Analysis of Causes and Consequences.” Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, Vol. 12, 1999, pp. 361-378. At: http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:http://202.38.89.99/Loss_prevention/99503.pdf
Lloyd, Camille, Daniel L. Creson, and Marian S. D’Antonio. “A Petrochemical Plant Disaster Lessons for the Future.” Pp. 281-298 in Handbook of Post-Disaster Interventions (Special Issue). Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, R. Allen (Editor), Vol. 8, No. 5, 1993.
United States Fire Administration. Phillips Petroleum Chemical Plant Explosion and Fire, Pasadena, Texas. Emmitsburg, MD: National Fire Data Center, USFA, FEMA, 2007, 87 pages. Accessed 5-12-2016 at: http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/downloads/pdf/publications/tr-035.pdf