Case study and lessons learned from the ammonium nitrate explosion at the West Fertilizer facility

Laboureur, Delphine; Han, Zhe; Harding, Brian; Pineda, Alba; Pittman, William; Rosas, Camilo; Jiang, Jiping; Mannan, M. Sam

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2016.01.039

Cited by 63 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Texas in 2013, [34][35][36] where a wooden bin with 30 tons fertilizer grade AN (FGAN), the high density prills, detonated when engulfed in the fire. The accident, which resulted in 15 fatalities and much damage in the vicinity of the facility, gave rise to an Executive Order of the Obama administration to review safety and security regulations 37 and an Advisory of EPA, OSHA, and ATF.…”

Section: This Was True Too For West Fertilizer Company Explosion In Wmentioning

confidence: 99%

Beirut ammonium nitrate explosion: Are not we really learning anything?

Pasman

Fouchier

Park

et al. 2020

Process Safety Progress

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Disasters caused by large-scale ammonium nitrate (AN) detonations initiated by fires are well known. The Beirut explosion is again a very sad event with disastrous consequences, but it is not a surprise in the sense of a new phenomenon. It is tragic that calamities with AN occur despite ample guidelines for prevention. Knowledge of the decomposition of AN over the years has greatly progressed, as well how to initiate a detonation with a strong shock wave from a high explosive charge. However, to reproduce the initiation of a detonation by a fire under controlled laboratory conditions never succeeded. The details of the transition of decomposing AN to a detonation remained an open question. Is it a deflagration to detonation mechanism, or is it a shock to detonation one? Knowledge of this may further help process safety measures for the product. The paper will bring research contributions from over a century together, it will develop a scenario how this disaster could happen in Beirut, how much of the AN contributed to the blast, and how further research effort could be beneficial. In addition, the paper estimates the TNT mass equivalent of the AN detonation in Beirut employing three different methods.

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Section: This Was True Too For West Fertilizer Company Explosion In Wmentioning

confidence: 99%

Beirut ammonium nitrate explosion: Are not we really learning anything?

Pasman

Fouchier

Park

et al. 2020

Process Safety Progress

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“…Moreover, it could be plausibly proposed that these products of fertilizer decomposition and subsequent gasses could have been mutagenic agents leading to chromosomal abnormalities, depending on the composition of the fertilizer and condition of decomposition. For example, Grant et al suggested that N 2 , a product from decomposition of ammonium nitrate by high temperature (170-280 • C), has been associated with a significant increase of chromosomal impairment [40][41][42]. Therefore, well-designed experimental studies are needed to investigate the association between products of fertilizer decomposition and chromosomal abnormalities in animals.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Potential Increased Risk of Trisomy 18 Observed After a Fertilizer Warehouse Fire in Brazos County and TX

Zhang

Han

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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Background: In this paper, we aimed to investigate the potential impacts of a fire accident in a fertilizer warehouse on chromosomal anomalies, including Trisomy 21 (T21) and Trisomy (T18) among pregnancies in Brazos County, Texas. We conducted an observational study in Brazos County, TX, with all patients of T18 and T21 cases in the live births in Brazos County between 2005–2014. The prevalence of T18 and T21 before, during, and after the accident in Brazos County were calculated and compared. The Standardized Morbidity Ratio (SMR) was applied to compare the prevalence of T18 and T21 in Brazos County to the statewide prevalence in Texas after adjusting for maternal race and age. Compared with statewide risk, the risk of T18 during the impacted years in Brazos county was found to be significantly higher (SMR = 5.0, 95% Confidence Interval(CI): 2.19–9.89), while there was no significant difference before (SMR = 0.77, 0.13–2.54) and after the accident (SMR = 0.71, 0.12–2.36). However, the prevalence of T21 during the impacted years was not significantly different from those before or after the accident. This study conclusively suggests that this fertilizer fire may be related to the increased prevalence of T18 in Brazos County, though the findings warrant further investigation.

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“…36 Enquanto que a National Fire Protection Association (EUA), nas normas NFPA 490 e 704, categoriza o NA como um sal não-inflamável, estável e com baixo poder de detonação. 37 Devido ao amplo uso do NA em áreas acessíveis a toda a população, assim como, aos acidentes ocorridos ao longo da história de uso deste sal, suas propriedades térmicas são amplamente estudadas e estabelecidas, a fim de minimizar potenciais riscos atrelados à sua manipulação e armazenamento (Tabela 1).…”

Section: Riscos De Explosãounclassified

Ammonium Nitrate: Good or Bad Guy?

Simplicio¹,

Santos²,

Campos³

et al. 2021

Rev. Virtual Quim.

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Ammonium nitrate (NA) is an inorganic salt that constitutes products used in common practices, such as application in fertilizers, odor control, production of explosive agents and production of propellants for rockets. Its physico-chemical properties demonstrate that it is a highly stable salt, which raises the question about its involvement in numerous explosive accidents recorded worldwide, the most recent being in August 2020 in the city Beirut-Lebanon. Thus, this review article gathers important information and necessary knowledge about this chemical agent, in order to avoid or minimize accidents that may involve NA. Therefore, information was addressed from the economic importance and main applications of NA to the risks and safety measures recommended for the operations of its transportation, storage and use. O nitrato de amônio (NA) é um sal inorgânico constituinte de vários produtos utilizados em práticas comuns, como a aplicação em fertilizantes, controle de odores, produção de agentes explosivos e produção de propelentes para foguetes. Suas propriedades físico-químicas demonstram se tratar de um sal de elevada estabilidade, o que desperta o questionamento sobre o seu envolvimento em inúmeros acidentes explosivos registrados em todo o mundo, sendo o mais recente o ocorrido em agosto de 2020 na cidade Beirute-Líbano. Dessa forma, o presente artigo de revisão reúne informações importantes e de conhecimento necessário acerca deste agente químico, a fim de evitar ou minimizar os acidentes que possam envolver o NA. Assim, foram abordadas informações desde a importância econômica e principais aplicações do NA até os riscos e as medidas de segurança recomendadas às operações de seu transporte, armazenamento e uso.

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Case study and lessons learned from the ammonium nitrate explosion at the West Fertilizer facility

Cited by 63 publications

References 6 publications

Beirut ammonium nitrate explosion: Are not we really learning anything?

Beirut ammonium nitrate explosion: Are not we really learning anything?

Potential Increased Risk of Trisomy 18 Observed After a Fertilizer Warehouse Fire in Brazos County and TX

Ammonium Nitrate: Good or Bad Guy?

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