HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL ACCIDENTS THAT OCCURRED IN DECEMBER IN HISTORY

1. Major accidents that occurred in November 2021

　　 At around 9:30 on November 20, 2021, a deflagration occurred in the sewage conditioning tank of Zhejiang Changming Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. in Tiantai County Industrial Park, Taizhou City, causing 3 deaths and 4 injuries. After preliminary investigation, the direct cause of the accident was: when the company was carrying out the renovation of environmental protection facilities, the construction personnel performed hot work on the sewage collection tank platform above the sewage adjustment tank, and the sparks generated by electric welding fell near the inlet of the sewage adjustment tank cover below. The welding spark ignites the flammable gas from the sewage conditioning tank first and then causes the sewage conditioning tank to explode. At present, the cause of the accident is under further investigation.

　　 2. Hazardous chemical accidents that occurred in December in history

　　 (1) Domestic accidents

  Petrochemical

　　CNPC Lanzhou Petrochemical Company "12·11" water tank flash explosion accident

　　 On December 11, 2006, when the auxiliary plant of PetroChina Lanzhou Petrochemical Company was welding and piping the top of the atmospheric condensate storage tank (TK-1808) in the device, a flash explosion occurred, resulting in 3 deaths. The direct cause of the accident was: the condensate tank TK-1808 was cascaded with combustible gas n-butane from the feed heat exchanger of the debutanizer, and an explosive mixed gas was formed in the upper gas phase space of the tank, and it fell into the tank. Flash explosion occurred.

　　 Coal Chemical Industry

　　 "December 8" poisoning accident of Luoyang Yonglong Energy and Chemical Company of Henan Energy and Chemical Group

　　 On December 8, 2018, a poisoning accident occurred in the methyl nitrite unit of the ethylene glycol plant of Henan Nenghua Luoyang Yonglong Energy Chemical Company, which resulted in 3 deaths and 1 injury. The direct cause of the accident was that methyl nitrite leaked from the rupture disc and safety valve of the preparation device, and it sank along the pores of the three-layer platform where the device was located to the batching personnel on the second-layer platform, causing personnel poisoning.

　　 "12·25" Flash Explosion Accident of Toksun Energy Chemical Co., Ltd., Turpan City, Xinjiang

　　 On December 25, 2018, a flash explosion occurred in the rotary lime kiln of Toksun Energy and Chemical Co., Ltd., causing 7 deaths, 14 injuries and direct economic losses of 21.98 million yuan. The direct cause of the accident was that gas and air had been introduced into the rotary lime kiln before ignition. From the kiln head to the dust collector, the entire rotary kiln system space formed a mixed explosive gas. When the torch was sent into the kiln near the burner nozzle to ignite, it exploded.

　　Xuzhou Tianan Chemical Co., Ltd. "12·31" poisoning accident

On December 31, 2019, when the personnel of Chongqing Huawei Air Liquide Equipment Manufacturing Co., Ltd., a contractor of Jiangsu Xuzhou Tianan Chemical Co., Ltd., were performing maintenance operations in the desulfurization tower, five construction workers were poisoned, and three of them died directly after the rescue was ineffective. The economic loss was about 4.02 million yuan. The direct cause of the accident was: during the overhaul of the desulfurization tower, a reasonable and reliable process and isolation plan was not formulated according to the regulations, the liquid seal failed due to the blind discharge of the desulfurization liquid, and the gas pressed in the upper space of the circulation tank broke through the liquid seal and entered the tower Inside, causing poisoning of operators in the tower.

　　Fine chemicals

　　 "12·26" explosion accident of Chunjiang Company, Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province

　　 On December 26, 2004, the reactor in the production workshop of Chunjiang Company in Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province suddenly exploded during chemical testing, killing 3 people. The direct cause of the accident was: the factory’s testers and operators did not master the production process and the corresponding emergency response plan, blindly and recklessly, self-determined operating parameters and operating conditions for pilot production, resulting in unstable gaseous substances and volumes in the kettle. A large amount of gas is quickly discharged from the gas-phase pipeline, the gas flow rate increases, and electrostatic sparks are generated to cause an explosion.

　　 "12·8" explosion accident of Chaoqiang Chemical Company in Huainan City, Anhui Province

　　 On December 8, 2008, the equipment for the production of dimethylpyrrolidone in Huainan Chaoqiang Chemical Co., Ltd. in Anhui Province exploded. The accident caused 3 deaths and 2 minor injuries. The direct cause of the accident was that the company's equipment for producing dimethylpyrrolidone, due to improper operation, caused the leakage of heat transfer oil and exploded at high temperature during the overhaul.

　　Ningxia Baofeng Energy Group Corporation "12·17" hydrogen sulfide poisoning accident

　　 On December 17, 2011, a hydrogen sulfide poisoning accident occurred at the benzene hydrogenation unit of Ningxia Baofeng Energy Group Co., Ltd., resulting in 3 deaths and 9 injuries. The direct cause of the accident was that a benzene hydrogenation employee discovered a leak in the shaft seal of the pump drawn from the non-aromatic underground waste liquid tank during the inspection. After informing the main operator of the site, he accidentally dropped it when inspecting the leaking part. After entering the pit outside the trough, he was unconscious, and then many people were blindly rescued and poisoned one after another.

　　 "12·24" explosion accident at Wufa Auxiliary Factory, Gongyi City, Henan Province

　　 On December 24, 2011, a paraffin raw material storage tank explosion occurred at Wufa Auxiliary Factory in Gongyi City, Zhengzhou City, Henan Province, causing 3 deaths and 1 injury. The direct cause of the accident was: the plastic feed pipe was aging and fell off, which caused a large amount of leakage of liquid paraffin in the pipe, which burned and exploded after encountering the open flame of the boiler.

　　 "12·18" poisoning accident of Jiangsu Rugao Zhongchang Chemical Co., Ltd.

　　 On December 18, 2018, a poisoning accident occurred in the distillation and synthesis workshop of Rugao Zhongchang Chemical Co., Ltd. in the Changjiang Town Chemical Industry Park, Rugao City, Nantong City, Jiangsu Province, resulting in the death of 3 employees. The direct cause of the accident was that the shell side of the liquid nitrogen-hydrofluoric acid heat exchanger was rapidly cooled and rapidly cooled by liquid nitrogen, and it became brittle, exploded under pressure, and the hydrofluoric acid leaked, resulting in poisoning and death of the operator.

  Organic Chemicals

　　 "12·9" major explosion accident of Juxin Biological Company, Lianyungang, Jiangsu

　　 On December 9, 2017, an explosion accident occurred in the dichlorobenzene production unit of Juxin Biological Company in Lianyungang City, Jiangsu Province, which caused the collapse of the fourth workshop and the adjacent sixth workshop where the device was located, resulting in 10 deaths and 1 minor injury. The direct cause of the accident was: the nitrogen oxides (entrained sulfuric acid) of the exhaust gas treatment system were stringed into the insulation kettle, and chemically reacted with the materials in the kettle, continued to heat up, and released nitrogen oxide gas. When using compressed air to press the material, the high temperature When the material comes into contact with air, the reaction intensifies. When the pressure is relieved and vented, the pressure in the kettle rises sharply when the static spark burns, and the material sprays out in a large amount, forming an explosive mixture with the air outside the kettle, and explodes when it encounters a fire source.

　　Shandong Rike Chemical Co., Ltd. "12·19" major fire accident

　　 On December 19, 2017, a fire accident occurred in the low-temperature plasma environmental protection deodorization equipment in the drying workshop of Shandong Rike Chemical Co., Ltd., which caused 7 deaths and 4 injuries. The direct cause of the accident was: the first drying workshop manually ignited the gas hot blast stove that failed the acceptance (the interlock was not put into use), which caused the natural gas to enter the drying system through the gas hot blast stove and form an explosive mixture with the air in the system. When the electric spark deflagrated and ignited other combustible materials, a fire accident occurred.

　　 Heilongjiang Hainabel Chemical Co., Ltd. "12·19" large explosion accident

On December 19, 2020, a 1 cubic meter emulsification reactor (the product is thiophene ethanol, and the main raw materials are toluene and sodium metal) in the Gray workshop of Hainabel Chemical Co., Ltd., Wanbaoshan Park, Anda City, Heilongjiang Province, suddenly occurred during trial production. The explosion caused 3 deaths, 2 serious injuries, and 2 minor injuries. The cause of the accident was: the on-site operators of Heinabel Chemical Co., Ltd. violated the operating regulations and misoperation behaviors caused the air to enter the emulsification kettle and explode when mixed with toluene and metallic sodium.

　　 Inorganic Chemical

　　 "12·2" explosion accident of Jilantai Chlor-Alkali Chemical Company in Alxa League, Inner Mongolia

　　 On December 2, 2010, a vinyl chloride explosion occurred in the Jilantai Chlor-Alkali Chemical Co., Ltd. in Alxa League, Inner Mongolia, causing 3 deaths and 1 injury. The direct cause of the accident was that the water make-up valve, the bypass valve, the overflow valve, and the steam return valve were erroneously closed when dealing with the leak of the converter, which caused the reaction heat of the mixed gas of hydrogen chloride and acetylene to generate vinyl chloride and could not be removed in time , Which eventually causes the hot water in the converter to vaporize overpressure and explode.

　　 "December 29" explosion accident at the Jiuzhou Chemical Plant in Lanshan District, Linyi City, Shandong Province

On December 29, 2013, a hydrogen peroxide tank full of hydrogen peroxide exploded in the Jiuzhou Chemical Plant in Lanshan District, Linyi City, Shandong Province during a hydrogen peroxide tank truck unloading into multiple hydrogen peroxide packaging barrels, causing 3 deaths and direct economic losses More than 2 million yuan. The direct cause of the accident was that the plastic bucket containing hydrochloric acid was used to hold hydrogen peroxide in violation of regulations, and the residual Fe3+ and other metal impurities in the bucket caused the rapid decomposition of hydrogen peroxide and caused an overpressure explosion.

　　 fertilizer

　　 "12·13" explosion accident of Fred Chemical Company, Xishui County, Hubei Province

　　 On December 13, 2004, a fire and explosion occurred in the Xishui County Fred Chemical Co., Ltd., Huanggang City, Hubei Province, resulting in 3 deaths and 2 injuries. The direct cause of the accident was that the pipeline from the outlet of the converter to the heat exchanger in the transformation section of the company's urea business unit leaked, causing fires and explosions.

　　 "12·20" poisoning and suffocation accident of Xinchuan Fertilizer Company in Gansu Province

　　 On December 20, 2010, a gas poisoning suffocation accident occurred at Xinchuan Fertilizer Co., Ltd. in Gansu Province, resulting in 5 deaths and 2 injuries. The direct cause of the accident was: electrical failure caused the exhaust gas of the Mannheim reactor to gather in the pit of the crusher, which caused the personnel under maintenance and subsequent rescuers to be poisoned and suffocated one after another.

  Chemical and pharmaceutical

　　 Kunming's new biopharmaceutical company "12·30" explosion accident

　　 On December 30, 2010, a deflagration accident occurred in the tablet workshop of Kunming Xinxin Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Kunming City, Yunnan Province, resulting in 5 deaths and 8 injuries. The direct cause of the accident was: the maintenance personnel replaced the filter of the air conditioner, and the power cut stopped the air conditioner. The purified air could not enter the clean area. At the same time, the circulating hot air flow in the oven caused the moisture and ethanol in the pellets to evaporate. Ethanol gas, which has reached the explosive limit, has accumulated inside. During the baking process of the oven, the operator switches on and off the oven blower or the axial flow fan to generate electrical sparks and detonate the explosive mixture of ethanol accumulated in the oven.

  other

　　 "12·3" poisoning and suffocation accident by Jiangxi Jiangli Technology Co., Ltd.

　　 On December 3, 2009, a poisoning suffocation accident occurred in the second branch of Jiangli Technology Co., Ltd. in Xinyu City, Jiangxi Province, causing 3 deaths and 2 injuries. The direct cause of the accident was that the carbon monoxide in the reactor was returned to the raw ore slurry mixing tank through the newly installed slurry delivery pipe, and accumulated continuously, causing the pump worker to suffocate. Subsequently, without taking any safety protection measures, many people went to the pit for rescue, and suffocation occurred one after another.

　　 "12·14" deflagration accident of Beijing Guangzhongyuan Gas Company

　　 On December 14, 2009, a deflagration accident occurred in the carbon black water storage tank area of Beijing Guangzhongyuan Gas Co., Ltd., resulting in 3 deaths. The direct cause of the accident was: during the construction of the company’s carbon black water air cooler renovation project, when workers used gas cutting to transport the carbon black water pipeline, they ignited the flammable and explosive gas in the carbon black water tank, causing the carbon black water tank to explode. . Before the incident, there was still some carbon black water in the accident tank, and a small amount of syngas was dissolved and accumulated in the upper part of the tank for a long time, forming an explosive mixture with air.

　　 "12·7" liquefied natural gas leakage accident in Yulin City, Shaanxi Province

　　 On December 7, 2013, a LNG refueling station in Shangyanwan Town, Yuyang District, Yulin City, Shaanxi Province suffered a liquefied natural gas leakage accident, resulting in 4 deaths. The direct cause of the accident was: when a gas truck was transporting gas to the gas storage tank of the gas filling station through a pipeline, a LNG leak occurred (suspected because the valve in the gas storage tank was loose), and 7 people did not take any protective measures before and after. In case of entering the tank to try to repair, 4 people suffocated and died.

　　 (2) Foreign accidents

　　 Buncefield oil depot fire accident in the UK

　　 On December 11, 2005, the Buncefield Oil Depot in the United Kingdom had a fire accident, the largest fire and explosion accident in Europe so far. More than 20 large oil storage tanks were burned, 43 people were injured, no deaths, and a direct economic loss of 250 million pounds. The direct cause of the accident was: the automatic measurement system of No. 912 storage tank failed. When the storage tank was full, the level gauge stopped at 2/3 of the storage tank, the alarm system failed to start, and the high-high level interlock did not work. It can automatically open and cut off the oil inlet valve, causing the oil to overflow from the top of the tank, and the overflowing oil volatilizes to form a steam cloud, which explodes and catches fire in case of an open flame.

　　 Explosion accident at T2 Experimental Company in Jacksonville, USA

　　 On December 9, 2007, a fire and explosion occurred at T2 Experimental Company in Jacksonville, Florida, USA, resulting in 4 deaths and 32 injuries. The accident happened when a methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl (MCMT) reactor of the company exploded and the fragments flew 1 mile away. After the accident, it was estimated that the power of the explosion was equivalent to 0.64 tons of TNT. According to CSB investigation, the direct cause of the accident was that the cooling system adopted by the company was prone to single-point failure due to lack of design redundancy, and the MCMT reactor pressure reduction system could not relieve the pressure of out-of-control reactions.

　　 Toxic gas leakage accident from Excel Industries in India

　　 On December 17, 2015, a toxic gas sulfur dioxide leak occurred at the Excel Industrial Company's chemical plant in Roha, Maharashtra, India, causing 1 death and 4 people being poisoned and sent to hospital for rescue. The Indian Excel Industry Company mainly produces agrochemicals. The main cause of the accident: Workers accidentally damaged a pipeline transporting gas materials in the plant while repairing a water pipe.

　　 Explosion accident at Fuji Plant of Arakawa Chemical Industry, Japan

　　 On the morning of December 1, 2017, an explosion occurred at the Fuji Plant of Arakawa Chemical Industry in Atsuhara, Fuji City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. The explosion occurred in a building on the north side of the factory, resulting in 1 death and 14 injuries, of which 3 were seriously injured. The Arakawa Chemical Industry Plant mainly produces paper-making chemicals, printing ink resins, adhesives/adhesive resins, and electronic material intermediates. Firefighters said that there was a flammable liquid used as a raw material for printing coatings in the factory at that time, red flames were visible in the factory buildings, and part of the outer walls were blown away by shock waves from the explosion.