Event
- Event ID
- 679
- Quality
- Description
- The event occurred at a hydrogen processing unit of the refinery. A mixture of hydrocarbon and hydrogen leaked ad the 90-debrees-elbow of a carbon steel pipe. The mixture formed a cloud which exploded.
The investigation concluded that the failure of the line was the result of the thinning of the carbon steel elbow due to long-term erosion/corrosion.
The explosion was followed by fires which caused extensive damage to the hydrocracker, hydro-desulphurisation, and hydrogen processing units.
The explosion is classified by one of the source (Oral et al.) as a Vapour Cloud Explosion (VPE). - Event Initiating system
- Classification of the physical effects
- Hydrogen Release and Ignition
- Nature of the consequences
- Macro-region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Date
- Main component involved?
- Pipe
- How was it involved?
- Leak & Formation Of A Flammable H2-Hc-Air Mixture
- Initiating cause
- Material Degradation (Internal Corrosion / Erosion)
- Root causes
- Root CAUSE analysis
- INITIATING cause was the failure of a pipe due corrosion.
Inspection was possibly not able to detect the damage, but it is not known if this was due to limitation of the non-destructive equipment , to the absence of the correct inspection schedule or incorrect assessment of the risk and consequences. ICHEME/MHIDS reproted a wrong dimension of the failed part, which suggest A ROOT CAUSE related to installation errors, wit ha contribution from an inadequate inspection.
Facility
- Application
- Petrochemical Industry
- Sub-application
- hydrogenation unit
- Hydrogen supply chain stage
- All components affected
- Pipe and valve
- Location type
- Confined
- Location description
- Industrial Area
- Operational condition
Emergency & Consequences
- Number of injured persons
- 0
- Number of fatalities
- 16
- Currency
- US$
- Property loss (onsite)
- 78800000
- Property loss (offsite)
- 550000
- Post-event summary
- The fire was visible from 32 km away. People in a 5 sq. km area were evacuate. Material damage is significant ($ 78.3 million).
Los Angeles Times reproted 14 light injuries, Rigas&Amyotte 16. - Official legal action
- The company had to pay a $550,000 penalty to the South Coast Air Quality Management District in a settlement stemming from the 1992 explosion and other violations.
[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-08-10-me-25508-story.html, accessed November 2025]
Event Nature
- Release type
- gas mixture
- Involved substances (% vol)
- H2 hydrocarbon
- Presumed ignition source
- Not reported
- Ignition delay
- seconds
References
- Reference & weblink
MARSH report, 100 largest losses in the hydrocarbon industry, 27th edition 2022<br />
https://www.marsh.com/cz/en/industries/energy-and-power/insights/100-la… />
(accessed January 2024)ARIA database<br />
event 11282<br />
https://www.aria.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/accident/11282/<br />
(accesed November 2025)<br />Event 5815 of the UK database ICHEME/MHIDAS <br />
The database is no longer available , but data can be download as PDF .<br />
https://www.icheme.org/knowledge/safety-centre/resources/accident-data/… />
(accessed October 2020)<br />Los Angeles news <br />
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-10-09-mn-724-story.html<br />
(accwssed November 2025)Rigas F., Amyotte P., Hydrogen safety, Green chemistry and chemical engineering, CRC Press, Taylor & Frances Group; 2012. ISBN-13: 978-1439862315
JRC assessment
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