Crude Column Failures During In-Service Repairs (weldstan?)

[marty007]

Re: thread794-420069

In the thread linked above, weldstan stated:

I recall two instances of weld repairs to Crude columns in service that led to catastrophe. Do be extraordinarily careful!

Does anyone have any references to column failures that occurred due to in-service weld repairs? I did some online digging and nothing jumped out at me.

Thanks,
Marty

 

[weldstan]

I believe the welding repairs were on the bottom outlet piping directly below the bottom head. One was in a Los Angeles area refinery where the weld repiar was done on an exiting weld which had been eroded/corroded but the extent of metal loss was not known or mesured prior to repair work. Big fire and loss of life. This was about 40 years ago.

The other was reported to me by a friend who was supervising work on new construction at a refinery in Korea. He saw from afar that 2 welders were perfoming work on the bottom outlet piping shortly after statup and believed he saw leakage and hastely set out a warning but it was too late. He also ran for his life away from the unit. The resulting explosion and fire killed the 2 welders and possibly others. The Unit had to be rebuilt.

 

Chemical Safety Board might know something.

"Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but they are not entitled to their own facts."