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Parent Category: Safety Info Posts

Category: Chemical Process Safety (PSM/RMP)

Published: 10 September 2016

11/22/2017 UPDATE  - Nice write-up Dap-1 Ammonia Tank Explosion: Safety and Security Concerns in Chemical Process Plant in Bangladesh

Two DAP officials found guilty - an engineer and the general manager of the plant were found responsible for the accident.  The accused have been found guilty of negligence in duty as they did not inspect the safety of the factory or repair damaged portions.  A tank containing 340 tonnes of ammonia exploded at the Di-ammonium Phosphate factory. 

A large amount of ammonia gas was released around 10 PM on August 22, 2016, due to an overpressure event of a 10-year-old 500-ton atmospheric refrigerated ammonia storage tank at a Di-ammonium Phosphate plant. The facility had two 500-ton tons of ammonia tanks that supplied ammonia to a process. The tank which failed was partially full, containing 325 tons of anhydrous ammonia at the time of the incident.  It was ripped completely from its base, went airborne, and landed about 35 ft away (see photo below - notice the two investigators standing to the left of the tank for a size comparison). Consequently, a huge gas cloud was formed and dispersed into the air. The ammonia gas spread over several kilometers, leaving nearly 250 people sick after inhaling the ammonia gas. Fifty-two of them required hospitalization.

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