eNatech - Natech Accident

Natech Accident

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Type

Natech Accident

Date

1995/10/24

Natural Hazard

Lightning, Indonesia, 1995

Site ID

Pertamina Cilacap Refinery (Unit Pengolahan IV), Indonesia

Status

Published

Units Involved

Name
Oil tank
Type
Storage: Atmospheric storage tank
Description
This 38,800 m3 fixed-roof tank contained kerosene.
Name
6 Oil tanks
Type
Storage: Atmospheric storage tank
Description
These tanks contained naphtha and jet fuel.

Event Sequences

Name

Oil tank fire and explosion

Unit

1. Oil tank

Substances Involved

Name
Kerosene

Initiating Event	Critical Event	Major Event
Natural Hazard: Sparking The automatic gauging device of the tank was struck by lightning while the tank was in the process of being filled with kerosene at 43.5°C (T higher than the flash point).	-	Explosion: Unknown The vapour cloud above the tank exploded, thereby destroying the roof. Contributing Factors Organisational: Isolation of equipment / system: Inadequate Incomplete equipotential bonding. The poor equipotentiality of the device resulted in sparks that triggered a fire. Event Sequence: Oil tanks fire The burning liquid spread the fire to six other tanks in the dike.

Name
Oil tanks fire
Unit
2. 6 Oil tanks
Substances Involved
Name
Naphtha, jet fuel
Initiating Event Critical Event Major Event
Event Sequence: Oil tank fire and explosion
The burning liquid spread the fire to six other tanks in the dike.
-
Fire: Pool fire
Fire: Conflagration

Initiating Event	Critical Event	Major Event
Event Sequence: Oil tank fire and explosion The burning liquid spread the fire to six other tanks in the dike.	-	Fire: Pool fire Fire: Conflagration

Emergency Response

Response to the Natech Event

Depending on the information source, the fires burned for more than 19 hours to up to three days.

Consequences

On-site People At Risk

400

Off-site People At Risk

> 1000

Human Health Impacts

Thousands of inhabitants and four hundred Pertamina employees had to be evacuated for safety reasons.

No victims were reported.

Environmental Zones Impacted

Freshwater (e.g. pond, lake, stream)

Environmental Impacts

Some hundred water bodies were polluted.

Economic Impacts

Three tanks were destroyed and the refinery was shutdown for 1.5 years after the fires (restart in spring 1997), resulting in significant losses due to business interruption. During this period, oil, petrol, kerosene and diesel worth ca. 400,000 dollars daily had to be imported for the supply of Java.

Overall, the economic losses were estimated to be significant.

Built-up Areas Impacted

Residential areas (e.g. housings, hotels)

Community Disruption

Nearly 600 homes were damaged by the fires and explosion.

Lessons Learned

Lessons Learned on Equipment

It is essential that complete equipotential bonding is achieved to protect hazardous structures from lightning strikes.

ID: 4, Created: Serkan GIRGIN, 2010-12-09 16:14:40 – Last Updated: Amos NECCI, 2021-01-05 13:12:09

Attachments

No	Description	File Size
1.Click here to select record	ARIA 8183	537.96KB
2.Click here to select record	Lightning protection of oil and gas industrial plants	880.81KB
3.Click here to select record	Tank fires	660.54KB