Caribbean Petroleum Vapor Cloud Explosion Study Published in Loss Prevention Bulletin
The October 2019 edition of the Institution of Chemical Engineer’s (IChemE) Loss Prevention Bulletin features a BakerRisk case study on the Caribbean Petroleum Vapor Cloud Explosion (VCE).
The case study documents the events leading up to, and subsequent aftermath of, a large VCE that occurred on October 23, 2009. The VCE was caused by overfilling a gasoline storage tank which resulted in a large mist and vapor cloud covering a significant portion of the tank farm area. The explosion and subsequent tank fires caused extensive damage to the facility.
As noted in this paper, BakerRisk investigators were able to document damage indicators, fire/fuel dispersion patterns, and the tank farm conditions as part of the on-scene investigation. The paper also discusses the Baker-Strehlow-Tang (BST) and FABIG Technical Note 12 explosion models used to compare the observed damage indicators.
To speak with the authors (Quentin Baker, Kelly Thomas, Darren Malik, Matt Edel) or other BakerRisk experts on this topic, please contact us here.
Click here to request the full published paper.