Filter Separator Flash Fire

[gazepdapi]

Last night we had a small incident at one of our station and I was looking to see if anyone else has seen this before. A filter separator was left over night to air out before the filters were changed. When operations got on site they saw a fire around the door of the vessel and had to put it out. It seems as if the solids/liquids laying inside the vessel or the filters caught on fire. This is a natural gas vessel separating mainly brine and some hydrocarbons. I'm thinking some kind of exothermic reaction occured inside, got hot enough and ignited the atmosphere inside the vessel, which was still mainly gas. Any thoughts?

 

[MortenA]

If its normal HC from a well strea, that seems unlikely IMO. It seems much more likely that some external source ignited the gas. Of course there may be some thermite like reactions if there were rust and aluminium that could lead to high temperatures but that reaction does not require the presence of oxygen to occur (although the gas catching fire would. It just dosnt seem likely

 

[gazepdapi]

Looks like I may have found my answer

http://webwormcpt.blogspot.com/2008/10/pyrophoric-fire.html?m=1

 

[MortenA]

but you have to have H2S in you NG