Afterthoughts on the Violent Eruption

This incident seemed to be a result of poor communications and it is obvious that good communications is one of the keys to successful preparation for maintenance. A significant factor was the amount of caustic soda remaining. If there were a few hundred pounds or even a ton of residual caustic soda there would not have been an incident. There have been a number of incidents in which the amount of residual material was hidden from view, or otherwise grossly underestimated and the neutralizing or cleaning solutions material reacted vigorously. 

Every clearing and cleaning procedure should have some step or steps to estimate the amount of any hazardous or reactive residual material within the equipment. In addition, there should be some backup plan if the amount of residual appears over a predetermined amount. Smart-thinking tank designers plan ahead. Many more individuals are specifying 

---