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May 18, 2015

Phosphoric acid tank explosion

The late Dr Trevor Kletz had written about this incident in a safety bulletin:

'Small quantities of hydrogen are usually produced when corrosion occurs. If the hydrogen cannot escape and accumulates in the plant, an explosive mixture may be formed. This has caused some fires or explosions in surprising places. Some years ago an explosion occurred in a storage tank of phosphoric acid due to hydrogen produced by corrosion. The tank vent discharged downwards near a walkway. A welding spark ignited the escaping hydrogen and blew the roof off the tank.

The tank was modified so that the vent was in the centre of the roof and the hydrogen could escape easily".

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