DETONATION OF A FLAMMABLE CLOUD FOLLOWING A PROPANE PIPELINE BREAK--THE DECEMBER 9, 1970, EXPLOSION IN PORT HUDSON, MO.

The nature of the explosion on 12/9/70 following rupture of a propane pipeline (Abstract No. 51719) was investigated and documented by the U.S. Bureau of Mines at the invitation of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, with some reconstruction of probable atmospheric conditions and detonatable cloud dimensions as well as blast damage analysis. About 750 bbl of LPG are thought to have escaped from the time of the line break at 10:20 a.m. until the time of explosion at 10:40 p.m. The blast, equivalent to about 50 tons of detonating TNT, ignited a propane-air cloud extending over about 10 acres and comprising a volume of 1-2 million cu ft. The burning of the residual overrich propane-air mixture had the characteristics of a firestorm.

• Corporate Authors:

  Bureau of Mines

  College Park Research Center
  College Park, MD  United States  20742
• Authors:
  • Burgess, D S
  • Zabetakis, M G
• Publication Date: 1973

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: 29 p.
• Serial:
  • Bureau of Mines-Report of Investigations
  • Issue Number: 7752
  • Publisher: Bureau of Mines

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Explosions; Liquefied natural gas; Pipeline safety
• Old TRIS Terms: Lng explosions
• Subject Areas: Marine Transportation; Pipelines; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00056372
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: American Petroleum Institute
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 15 1974 12:00AM