New Dow Chemical plant DISASTER ? -- Multiple explosions jolt Louisiana's Plaquemine !!

[MJCronin]

https://www.truescoopnews.com/newsd...lant-multiple-explosions-louisiana-plaquemine

Jul 14, 2023

"A series of explosions at the Dow chemical plant along the Mississippi River triggered panic. Iberville Parish Sheriff Brett Stassi in its statement confined that six explosions were detected at the facility around 9:30 p.m.. The multiple explosions were so intense that the shockwave was felt from miles away, including in parts of Baton Rouge. After the explosion was reported, the rescue team arrived at the pot. All plant personnel has since been accounted for, and the firefighters appeared to have the flames under control as of around 11 p.m. Not only this, but Parish officials also issued a shelter-in-place order for a half-mile radius surrounding the plant. Notably, Iberville Parish Sheriff Brett Stassi further informed that the cause of the explosion is unknown, but something in the process went wrong.

https://www.wafb.com/2023/07/15/wat...sion-captured-several-cameras-across-br-area/

MJCronin
Sr. Process Engineer

 

[dik]

Are these reporters, even curious enough to ask what the contents were. Shelter in place may be OK, but it would be nice to know what you are dealing with.

-----*****-----
So strange to see the singularity approaching while the entire planet is rapidly turning into a hellscape. -John Coates

-Dik

 

[TugboatEng]

Yes, I need to know which chemical shortage to expect. Please, no more isocyanate shortages.

Edit: I found a source with more info. It was an ethylene oxide plant.

https://everchem.com/dow-explosion-at-plaquemine-eo-eg-unit-glycol-2/

Ironically, on a blog titled "Urethane".

 

[FacEngrPE]

Louisiana Operations

Louisiana Operations is one of the largest petrochemical facilities in Louisiana. The integrated manufacturing facility near Plaquemine and brine operations in Grand Bayou comprise the largest employer in Iberville and West Baton Rouge parishes and plays an active role in the surrounding communities.

Home to most of Dow’s global businesses, Louisiana Operations has 23 production units manufacturing more than 50 different intermediate and specialty chemical products, such as chlorine and polyethylene, that are used to produce cosmetics, detergents, solvents, pharmaceuticals, adhesives, plastics for a variety of packaging, automotive parts, electronics components, and more.

https://apnews.com/article/chemical-fire-louisiana-dow-explosion-6bff005d6e34de5e6b2a10151404722c

indicates that the explosion / fire involved ethylene oxide. This seems to be all of the public information available so far on the what is impacted question dik asks.

 

[enginesrus]

More things happening, just like the weather, supply chain, food plants, cows and chickens. Yup nothing to see here.

 

[georgeverghese]

Chemical plant near a river - there is nothing worse than river water when used as cooling water - critters in the water chew up heat exchangers in no time, water chemical treatment or not. Not to mention what may be in the cooling water tower blowdown stream dumping back into the river.

 

[1503-44]

Glycol Unit 2

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/o...ions-fire-at-plaquemine-dow-plant/ar-AA1e538l

--Einstein gave the same test to students every year. When asked why he would do something like that, "Because the answers had changed."

 

[ProSafPlant1]

A glycol production unit sounds fairly benign, glycol being a high flash point combustible, not a flammable liquid; but the feedstock process is one of the highest hazard units in a petrochemical plant, involving direct oxidation of ethylene to ethylene oxide.

I would have thought more details would surface by now.

 

[ProSafPlant1]

Excerpt from an old 1979 AIChE Loss Prevention Symposium presentation on EO process fire / explosion incidents (much improved since then).