Boiler and

pressure vessel
accidents

The following pictures show

damage caused by accidents to
boilers and pressure vessels.
 Buffalo, New York 1983
“It looked like a battleground”
Two days after Christmas 1983, the peace and
tranquility of Buffalo, New York was abruptly shattered
by an explosion of such magnitude that its enormity was
almost impossible to comprehend.
The aftermath of the explosion left the appearance of a
major battleground, rather than that of an average city
residential block. What caused this horrifying scene?

A gas explosion caused by the release of liquid LP gas

on the second floor of a warehouse
The cause was a pressure vessel measuring only
three feet by eight feet, containing 230 gallons
of liquid propane. The vessel was being moved
via forklift when it rolled off the forks, and a
nozzle broke off causing the gas to escape.
LP gas being heavier than air stayed near the
ground. A spark caused the gas to explode and
caused the following results:
 Liquid Oxygen Cylinder Explosion
• Improper methods used to render scrap cylinder unserviceable
• Unsafe modifications to cylinder design
• Two individuals (ages 42 and 60) found a liquid oxygen cylinder that
had been removed from service and left at a scrap metal dealer
• The individuals were self-employed in scrap metal cutting operations
and intended to use the cylinder in their work
• The Pressure Relieving Devices were removed and plugged
• The cylinder was filled while onboard a pickup truck
• The cylinder, which had no vacuum, was now unable to vent excess
pressure
• While being transported down a busy highway, the pickup truck
experienced a flat tire
• Shortly thereafter, the cylinder exploded with the results shown in the
following slides
Pickup truck on which the cylinder was being transported
Both inner and outer shells separated at bottom
welds

Annular Space
Cylinder exploded at 12:40 PM while transport
vehicle was parked on busy Interstate highway

Vehicle Location

Cylinder Trajectory
The blast blew one individual across 5 lanes of
traffic. The other was blown approximately 40
feet. Both survived
Note that the media reported the event as a Butane
cylinder explosion but it was really an O2 cylinder
LP Gas storage sphere collapsed while being filled for a hydrostatic pressure test
killing a worker underneath. Support legs had corroded due to water trapped
between insulation and support column.
This is an example of
brittle fracture
caused by using cold
water for a
hydrostatic pressure
test and then
pressurizing vessel.
The temperature of
the water caused the
metal to become
brittle.
Antique traction engine
Traction Engine after
boiler explosion
First floor classroom after cast iron boiler
explosion
Front of school building viewing
from exterior of building.
View from basement boiler room
looking up through ceiling to 1st
floor
 The Incident
• A defective, high pressure, steam boiler ruptured.
• High vibrations were heard just before the boiler ruptured.
• The resultant explosion on rupture damaged nearby vessels
containing flammables.
• The flammable Loss Of Containment resulted in further fires
and explosions.
Results
•23 workers were killed.
•Nine are still missing.(at time of report)
•74 were injured.
•$800,000,000 (U.S.) estimated property damage.
Following views are
after explosion.
Flames light the sky after an explosion at Algeria's largest refinery
and principal oil exporter in the port city of Skikda,
500 km (310 miles) east of the capital Algiers, early January 20, 2004.
Rescue workers searched through rubble for missing worker on
Tuesday after a huge explosion at its key gas installations killed 23 people
on Monday evening, official media said.
 Boiler explosion in
private residence. This
slide shows family room
and daughter’s bedroom
after explosion.
Daughter’s bedroom and bed
after explosion