Total hit by another serious accident

Paris - Three people were injured following an accident in which an empty sulfuric acid tank overturned at the Total Petrochemicals plant in Gonfreville, France. Eight other people are in a state of shock following the incident, which occured at 9:14am on 5 Aug during repair work at the facility.

The incident follows a more serious accident on 15 July at the Total Petrochemicals France plant in Carling-Saint-Avold. At least two people were killed and another six seriously injured in an explosion that occurred during operations to restart the steamcracker that produces petrochemical feedstocks, such as ethylene and propylene.

According to Total, the cracker was in the process of being shut down following recent storms, when a steam generator exploded. The causes of the explosion are not yet known, said the company, adding that the plant had been secured and that there was no risk of pollution.

Total engineers wanted to introduce new temperature measurement points to help them better understand the condition of the boiler and anticipate when it might need to be replaced. By measuring the internal and external temperature of the boiler walls and identifying heat loss, it is possible to calculate the material’s resistance and infer its thickness.

The Carling site produces a range of basic petrochemicals including ethylene, propylene, methane and styrene, as well as plastic consumer products including polyethylene and polystyrene. These products are produced by steam cracking of petroleum, along with either gas oil or naphtha in a cracking oven with superheated steam at a temperature of 800ºC.