An explosion occurred in a metal bitumen tank (15 m high) in a company that manufactures, stores and distributes bitumen emulsion. The top of the tank was blown off and landed more than 45 m away on the grounds of the neighbouring facility. Upon arriving at the site, the operator switched off the electricity to the entire facility. The site was shut down. The tank in question was destroyed, and two other tanks were damaged in the explosion. The amount of bitumen in the tank was less than indicated by the sensor (10 tonnes) and insufficient to cover the resistors completely. The system began heating the fluid and caused the temperature in the tank to rise because the temperature sensor was not immersed in the bitumen. The heating system thus operated at its maximum level. The temperature rise caused a fire to break out, which ignited the combustion gases. The course of the accident implies that the level sensor had failed.
Source:Aria database
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