Fires causes

Table 1.1 Breakdown of U.K. fires causing more than 50 000 damage in 1997 ...

On May 30, 1970, a tank truck partially filled with liquefied oxygen exploded after making a delivery in a hospital in Brooklyn, New York. The force of the explosion and subsequent fires caused the deaths of the driver and bystander. Thirty other people were injured and substantial property damage resulted. 

On May 30, 1978, a sphere in a tank farm of a refinery at Texas City, Texas, was overfilled with isobutane. As a result, it cracked and released a portion of its contents, which were then ignited. The ensuing flash fire caused the sphere to fail completely. 

Accident scenarios leading to vapor cloud explosions, flash fires, and BLEVEs were described in the previous chapter. Blast effects are a characteristic feature of both vapor cloud explosions and BLEVEs. Fireballs and flash fires cause damage primarily from heat effects caused by thermal radiation. This chapter describes the basic concepts underlying these phenomena. 

Fires caused by molten metal released from a ruptured furnace or by molten metal spilled during liandling are included in tliis ignition source category. 

There are very few recorded instances of fire caused by gas in installations such as boiler houses ... 

Gas can feed a fire caused by other sources. The integrity of pipework should withstand an external fire for sufficient time for an external emergency control valve to be operated. 

The corrodent is a liquid metal in this form of stress corrosion cracking. Mercury at ambient temperature and metals including zinc (from galvanized steel-work) and copper (from electric cables) when melted during welding or in a fire cause rapid failure of certain metals. 

Interaction is very vigorous, and with limited water, incandescent [1]. An account of a serious fire caused by inadvertent addition of lithal to water [2]. In the editor s experience ignition of evolved hydrogen will occur with quantities as slight as 200 mg. 

IJ/ACH YEAR, FIRE CAUSES some 6,200 deaths, 30,000 injuries, and 8 billion in property loss in the United States. Nationwide, 2.4 million fires, large and small, take their toll. Some, like the 1986 Dupont Plaza Hotel fire in Puerto Rico, involve large loss of both life and property. Clearly, fire is a major social issue. 

Fires starting in a room may eventually get transferred to a plenum above it. However, by the time the effects of such a fire cause PVC products (rigid conduit, ENMT conduit and wire coating) in the plenum to burn, the room has already reached flashover conditions. Furthermore, the smoke generated by the room fire fuel causes much faster toxic concern than that from the PVC products in the plenum. 

An accident occurred in a fuel-blending facility that provided a way to reuse flammable and hazardous wastes. One worker was killed and two others were injured. The explosion and resulting fire caused extensive damage to the facility. 

Smoke is a by-product of most fires caused by the incomplete oxidation of the fuel supply during the chemical process of combustion. It accounts for a large majority of fatalities of from fire incidents at both onshore and offshore petroleum facilities. In the Piper Alpha incident of 1988, probably the worst petroleum industry offshore life loss incident, the majority of deaths were not from bums, drowning or explosion impacts but from smoke and gas inhalation. The report on the incident concluded that, of the bodies recovered from the incident, 83% were as a result of inhalation of smoke and gas. Most of these victims were assembled in the accommodation awaiting evacuation directions or as they may have thought - a possible rescue. 

Most fires on floating roof tanks are small rim fires caused by vapors leaking through the seals. The source of ignition is normally lightning strikes. With proper seal maintenance and inspection, coupled with adequate shunt straps across the seal at every meter or so will reduce the probability of a tank fire. 

The fire caused damage to the warehouse, which forced the... 

Carbon tetrachloride is not recommended as an eluting solvent in the chromatographic separation of boranes, carbaboranes or their derivatives because of the danger of explosion [1], Use of a carbon tetrachloride extinguisher on a diborane fire caused a violent explosion [2],... 

Anon., Sichere Chemiearbeit, 1992, 44(6), 70 Jahresbericht, 1991, 72 A substantial explosion, followed by a fire causing fatal bums to the experimenter, occurred when working with butyllithium in tetrahydrofuran cooled by a propan-2-ol/solid carbon dioxide freezing bath. It was considered that the explosion might have been fueled by isopropanol vapour in air. This explanation was rejected since the alcohol should have been below its flash point. However, making up such cooling baths, containing flammable solvents, does disperse considerable quantities of vapour and mist before the mix is fully cooled. There is a period of potential hazard, as there may be when the bath warms above the flash point once more. 

Use of carbon tetrachloride to extinguish a wax fire caused an explosion. This was attributed to a violent reaction between unsaturated wax components and carbon tetrachloride initiated by radicals from decomposing peroxides [1], Perhaps a more likely explanation could be that contact of the cold low-boiling liquid with the hot molten wax led to the physical effect of a vapour explosion, rather than the chemical explosion postulated [2],... 

The hazards specific to the handling of a flammable gas in a compressor system are internal and external explosions and jet fires caused by ignition of gas escaping from a leak or break ... 

And this same thing, which follows its companion without fire, causes many colours to appear when embracing it, for this reason, that the said one thing enters into every regimen, and is found everywhere, being a stone, and also not a stone common and precious hidden and concealed, yet known by... 

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