Where’s the video? They could have made a fortune on pay-per-view on this one.
Been following this quite closely. There are 9 reefer box trucks with organic peroxides. 3 trucks cooling has failed. The organic peroxides are not made there but used as catalysts. If they rise above 30 F exothermic reactions start occurring. It is an exercise in stupidity in MHO. We are talking small containers... Gallon jug sized or so. They should have sprayed those things top to bottom inside with dry ice used for sand blasting. Would have bought at least 3 days. Rinse, repeat.
Arkema really woulda, coulda, shoulda done better.
We can blame this on
1) man made climate change or
2) the Trump administration’s cuts to the school lunch program or
3) White supremacy.
THANK GOD FOR THE GOVERNMENT.
Without the governments constant eagle eyes none of the plants employees or owners would have been aware of the explosions.
“The plant has nine box vans with 36,000 pounds of organic peroxide in each.”
That’s over 150 *tons* of a *catalyst* (catalysts are typically used in small amounts relative to the material they’re used with). I realize they’re the ones that make the stuff rather than use the stuff, but I’m not sure I see why they need to keep around that much inventory.
Why were the vans even there? With the risk you would think they would have moved them well out of the storm area.
Why do they always say to turn off air conditioners? I thought they were designed as a closed loop system. The air is drawn from inside the house then cooled inside the house and distributed inside the house. Rinse and repeat. No outside air is introduced?
The good news is that there is 6 feet of flood water to put the fires out......
A list of chemicals at the plant(via zerohedge):
The company also published a list of the toxic chemicals stored at the doomed facility on its web site, reposted below.
2-ETHYLHEXANOYL CHLORIDE DISTILLED
ACETIC ACID 84%
ACETONE
AROMATIC 100
BENZOYL CHLORIDE
CAUSTIC POTASH 45%
CAUSTIC SODA 50%
CUMENE HYDROPEROXIDE
CUMENE HYDROPEROXIDE
DIMETHYL HEXADIENE
DIMETHYL HEXANEDIOL DH-S
EPSOM SALTS
HEXANE
HYDROGEN PEROXIDE 70%
ISOAMYLENE
ISOAMYLENE
ISOBUTYLENE ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL
MINERAL OIL, WHITE
MINERAL SPIRITS ODORLESS
MONOSODIUM PHOSPHATE
NEODECANOYL CHLORIDE >=98.0% UNDISTILLED
PIVALOYL CHLORIDE 95-100%
PROPYLENE GLYCOL
SODIUM BICARBONATE
SODIUM CARBONATE ANHYDROUS LIGHT
SODIUM SULFATE ANHYDROUS
SODIUM SULFITE ANHYDROUS
SULFUR DIOXIDE
SULFURIC ACID 93% REAGENT ACS
T-BUTYL HYDROPEROXIDE 70%