The Flixborough disaster was an explosion at a chemical plant close to the village of Flixborough (near Scunthorpe), North Lincolnshire, England, on 1 June 1974. It killed 28 people and seriously injured 36. Flixborough is a village in Lincolnshire. ... For other uses, see Scunthorpe (disambiguation). ... St Clements Church, Worlaby North Lincolnshire is a unitary authority in England, established in April 1996, one of the first unitary councils. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... is the 152nd day of the year (153rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ...

Background

The chemical plant, owned by Nypro (UK) (a joint venture between Dutch State Mines and the British National Coal Board), and in operation since 1967, produced caprolactam, a precursor chemical used in the manufacture of nylon. The process involved oxidation of cyclohexane with air in a series of six reactors to produce a mixture of cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone. Two months prior to the explosion, a crack was discovered in the number 5 reactor. It was decided to install a temporary 50 cm (20 inch) diameter pipe to bypass the leaking reactor to allow continued operation of the plant while repairs were made. The National Coal Board (NCB) was the nationalised British coal mining company. ... Caprolactam (C6H11ON) is the monomer used in the production of nylon 6. ... For other uses of this word, see nylon (disambiguation). ... The most fundamental reactions in chemistry are the redox processes. ... Cyclohexane is a cycloalkane with the molecular formula C6H12. ... In chemical engineering, chemical reactors are vessels designed to contain chemical reactions. ... Cyclohexanol is a secondary alcohol, formula C6H12O, consisting of a cyclohexane ring with one hydrogen substituent replaced by a hydroxyl group. ... Cyclohexanone is six-carbon cyclic molecule with a ketone functional group. ...

Residents of the village of Flixborough were not keen to have such a large industrial development so close to their homes and had expressed concern when the plant was first proposed.

The disaster

At 16:53 on Saturday 1 June 1974, the temporary bypass pipe (containing cyclohexane at 150°C (302°F) and 1 MPa) ruptured, possibly as a result of a fire on a nearby 8 inch (20 cm) pipe which had been burning for nearly an hour. Within a minute, about 40 tonnes of the plant's 400 tonne store of cyclohexane leaked from the pipe and formed a vapour cloud 100–200 metres (320-650 feet) in diameter. The cloud, on coming in contact with an ignition source (probably a furnace at a nearby hydrogen production plant) exploded, completely destroying the plant. Around 1,800 buildings within a mile radius of the site were damaged. is the 152nd day of the year (153rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... Celsius is, or relates to, the Celsius temperature scale (previously known as the centigrade scale). ... mega- (symbol M) is an SI prefix in the SI system of units denoting a factor of 106, i. ... The pascal (symbol: Pa) is the SI derived unit of pressure or stress (also: Youngs modulus and tensile strength). ... Cyclohexane is a cycloalkane with the molecular formula C6H12. ... General Name, Symbol, Number hydrogen, H, 1 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 1, 1, s Appearance colorless Atomic mass 1. ... A mile is a unit of length, usually used to measure distance, in a number of different systems, including Imperial units, United States customary units and Norwegian/Swedish mil. ...

The fuel-air explosion was estimated to be equivalent to 15 tonnes of TNT (60 gigajoules) and it killed all 18 employees in the nearby control room. Nine other site workers were killed, and a delivery driver died of a heart attack in his cab. A high-impulse thermobaric weapon (HIT), also known as a fuel-air explosive (FAE or FAX), a heat and pressure weapon, or a vacuum bomb, consists of a container of a volatile liquid, in some designs including a finely powdered explosive component as a slurry, and (typically) two separate explosive... R-phrases S-phrases Related Compounds Related compounds picric acid hexanitrobenzene Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 Â°C, 100 kPa) Infobox disclaimer and references Trinitrotoluene (TNT) is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. ... The joule (IPA: or ) (symbol: J) is the SI unit of energy. ... Acute myocardial infarction (AMI or MI), more commonly known as a heart attack, is a disease state that occurs when the blood supply to a part of the heart is interrupted. ...

Observers have said that had the explosion occurred on a weekday, more than 500 plant employees would likely have been killed. Resulting fires raged in the area for over 10 days. It was Britain's biggest ever peacetime explosion until the Buncefield Depot explosion in 2005. The 2005 Hertfordshire Oil Storage Terminal fire was caused by a series of explosions early on the morning of 11 December 2005. ...

Substantial destruction of property was recorded in Flixborough itself, as well as in the neighbouring villages of Burton-upon-Stather and Amcotts. Significant structural damage affected Scunthorpe (eight miles away) and the blast was heard (and felt) twenty-five miles away in Grimsby. Burton upon Stather is a village in North Lincolnshire, England situated near the River Trent. ... Amcotts is a village and civil parish in North Lincolnshire, on the Isle of Axholme. ... For other uses, see Scunthorpe (disambiguation). ... , Grimsby (also known as Great Grimsby, after its Parliamentary constituency title[1]) is a seaport on the Humber Estuary in Lincolnshire, England. ...

Although the area was quite remote graphic images of the disaster were soon shown on television due to BBC and Yorkshire Television crews who had been covering the Appleby-Frodingham Gala in Scunthorpe that afternoon. The British Broadcasting Corporation, which is usually known as the BBC, is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the United Kingdom alone and with a budget of more than GB£4 billion. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

Consequences

The official inquiry into the accident determined that the bypass pipe had failed due to unforeseen lateral stresses in the pipe during a pressure surge. The bypass had been designed by engineers who were not experienced in high-pressure pipework, no plans had been produced or calculations produced, the pipe was not pressure-tested, and was mounted on temporary scaffolding poles that allowed the pipe to twist under pressure. These shortcomings led to a widespread public outcry over industrial plant safety, and significant tightening of the UK government's regulations covering hazardous industrial processes. See COMAH Regulations. The Control of Major Accident Hazards Regulations 1999 (COMAH) and their amendments 2005, are the enforcing regulations within the United Kingdom of the Seveso II Directive devised in Brussels following the Seveso disaster. ...

Despite protests from the local community the plant was re-built but due to a subsequent collapse in the price of nylon, it closed down a few years later. The site was demolished in 1981 although the administration block still remains. The site today is home to the Flixborough Industrial Estate, occupied by various businesses and Glanford Power Station. For other uses of this word, see nylon (disambiguation). ... Year 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Gregorian calendar). ... Glanford Power Station, showing condenser on the top left Glanford Power Station is an electricity generation plant located on the Flixborough Industrial Estate, near Scunthorpe, in North Lincolnshire. ...

The foundations of properties severely damaged by the blast and subsequently demolished can be found on land between the estate and the village, on the route known as Stather Road. A memorial to those who died was erected in front of offices at the rebuilt site in 1977. Cast in bronze, it showed a number of mallards in flight landing on water: When the plant was closed the statue was moved to the pond at the parish church in Flixborough. During the night on New Years' Day 1984 the sculpture was stolen. It has never been recovered and those responsible for the crime have never been found. Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... Assorted ancient Bronze castings found as part of a cache, probably intended for recycling. ... Binomial name Linnaeus, 1758 Subspecies See Mexican Duck, Anas, and article text The Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos[1]), also known as the wild duck, is a dabbling duck which breeds throughout the temperate and sub-tropical areas of North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. ... New Years Day is the first day of the year, in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ...

The plinth it stood on, featuring a plaque listing all those who died that day, can still be found outside the church.

New theories on the causes of the disaster

In April 2007 new evidence was presented by Dr John Cox at a one-day symposium at the University College London. Dr Cox argued there were two explosions, a smaller one, which was overlooked, happening before the massive blast. ^[1] An eyewitness backed the claims and explained how she had tried to contact the police but the incident was never followed up. ^[2] Dr Cox criticised the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for "[coming] up with the safe conclusion to allay public fears, rather than a significant conclusion which is that it was quite a complex issue".^[3] Affiliations University of London Russell Group LERU EUA ACU Golden Triangle G5 Website http://www. ... The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), reporting to the Health and Safety Commission, is the British government body responsible for the regulation of risks to health and safety in the UK. It was created as a result of the Health and Safety at Work, etc, Act 1974, and has since...

Previously, in April 2000, allegations of cover-up had been unveiled by a whistle-blowing scientist sacked from the original inquiry, Ralph King. He said the original inquiry was wrong to blame a simple mechanical failure: "I realised that what we were really there for was to come up with a cause which would not embarrass the company". His criticism led to the HSE ordering laboratory experiments. The test results released in November 2000 seemed to back up Mr King's theory that the presence of water inside the reactors and the simultaneous shutting down of crucial equipment, generated a massive build-up of pressure that blew the valve apart. ^[4]

References

See also

• List of disasters
• List of United Kingdom disasters by death toll
• Health and Safety Executive
• 2005 Hertfordshire Oil Storage Terminal fire

A disaster is a natural or man-made event that negatively affects life, property, livelihood or industry, often resulting in permanent changes to human societies, ecosystems and environment. ... List of United Kingdom disasters by death toll is a list of major disasters (excluding acts of war) which occurred in the United Kingdom or involved UK citizens, in a definable incident, where the loss of life exceeded 40. ... The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), reporting to the Health and Safety Commission, is the British government body responsible for the regulation of risks to health and safety in the UK. It was created as a result of the Health and Safety at Work, etc, Act 1974, and has since... The 2005 Hertfordshire Oil Storage Terminal fire was caused by a series of explosions early on the morning of 11 December 2005. ...

External links

• Summary of the official inquiry into the accident
• Flixborough memories on h2g2