(108b) Killing Rattlesnakes Before They Bite You!

Do you know what lies underneath your insulation? Is the pipe, exchanger or vessel under your insulation in good shape or is it is corroded and/or stress cracked? Do your piping systems and equipment have defects (?rattlesnakes?) that you can't see that are ready to bite you at any time?

We learned the answer to these questions the hard way. In April 2006 a jet fire broke out on our LOU (Light Olefins Unit) in Port Arthur, Texas when an eight inch diameter line containing cracked gas suddenly ruptured. Within minutes the entire LOU Cold Train was engulfed in a massive jet fire that totally destroyed the back end of this large scale Olefins plant. Four people working outside near the pipe rupture area were able to outrun the fire. Miraculously no one was injured but the plant reconstruction took 14 months and the rebuild cost exceeded $300 million. Want to know what we learned? We will share with you our views on how to find rattlesnakes and kill them before they bite you!