What We've Learned from the Philadelphia Energy Solutions Incident

Six months after catastrophic explosions, reports have revealed what crippled a former Philadelphia oil-and-gas titan. The 1300-acre refinery fell victim to a pipe failure—ushering in the facility’s impending closure merely five days later. Luckily, there were no major injuries or fatalities according to the U.S Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB).

A raging set of fires engulfs the former Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery. Image courtesy of CNN Business.

What caused the incident?

Refineries are comprised of complex piping networks. These channel volatile liquids between processing locations. Since the crude oils contained within are hydrocarbon rich, they have massive potential energy. Destructive consequences follow when segments of contained systems fail. The constant, high-pressure flow throughout exacerbates existing structural problems.

A weakened pipe elbow in the facility’s HFL collision unit ruptured due to degradation. Its thinness—comparable to a business card’s—proved to be its undoing. These ruptures caused propane and hydrogen fluoride to leak out, forming a flammable vapor cloud in short order. This flammable fog engulfed multiple, nearby structures containing combustible compounds.

From Expansion to Ignition

The expanding vapor ignited in minutes, creating a sizeable blaze that threatened the entire unit. Refinery operators attempted to divert hazardous hydrofluoric acid to a special safety tank. The refinery’s alkylation unit nonetheless exploded, followed by another nearby explosion just four minutes later. A third-and-final explosion within the central processing center constituted the largest blast. This section of the refinery stored numerous hydrocarbons. 

It’s no surprise that these organic compounds sparked the largest reaction. We know that propane was a key liquid used by Philadelphia Energy in the formation of high-octane gasoline. According to the National Association of Fire Investigators, propane explosions produce moderately high overpressures when uncontained. For comparison’s sake, “the pressure rise for propane is almost twice that for methane…” This explains the third blast’s immense magnitude.

Quantifying the Effects

No deaths nor major injuries occurred, though five workers sustained minor injuries while containing the fires. Philadelphia Energy Solutions stated that 5,239 pounds of hazardous hydrofluoric acid (HF) were released during the fire—the explosions having been instrumental in their spread. Of this, the company contained approximately 1,968 pounds. The remaining 62% of the deadly chemical payload escaped into the atmosphere.

Since HF dissolves in water, results could’ve been especially hazardous in certain weather conditions. HF causes chemical burns, respiratory problems, vision impairment, and internal organ damage. Acute exposure magnifies these effects. Despite this, neither Philadelphia Energy nor the CSB observed any ill effects amongst surrounding residents—a miracle in itself.

The blasts hurled massive debris fragments skyward. Two such projectiles landed within the complex, upwards of 1,800 feet from the blast site. Another 38,000-pound barrel soared across the Schuylkill River and landed on the opposite bank roughly 2,100 feet away. These could’ve easily killed bystanders.

Preventing Future Accidents

We know how this issue arose, so how do we prevent history from repeating itself? The answer involves periodic, preventative maintenance. Markings indicated that the faulty piping was 46 years old. While aging piping isn’t universally faulty, companies must be mindful of potential failures. That necessitates detailed logging of piping networks by age and condition—either manually or in real time. We simplify this at Gecko Robotics through our software and hardware tools.

An inspector uses a TOKA 3 robot to assess structural integrity.

It’s our strong belief that most industrial accidents can be prevented through inspections. Machines and platforms can work in unison to create a safer world. The accident at Philadelphia Energy Solutions could’ve easily been much more costly. It also constituted a perfect use case for our technologies. Forty percent of accidental releases at major petroleum facilities stem from piping issues. Preserving pipeline integrity is crucial. 

We achieve these goals by designing fully-featured inspection robots. These perform inspection tasks approximately ten times faster than traditional methods while capturing 1,000 times more structural data. Scans allow us to assess the thickness of every inch of piping in a network, regardless of position or existing obstacles. Refinery tanks and pressure vessels are also testable. These findings are instantly displayed using our corrosion mapping software. All information stored on the Gecko Portal is cloud based and accessible to all team members. 

A preview of our corrosion mapping graph, depicting varying pipe thicknesses.

Gecko provides certified inspection teams at various UT levels. Our robots are compact and need only lifting into position, then retrieval after inspection. This versatility means fewer inspectors are needed, streamlining processes that may otherwise be overlooked.

We’d love to turn back the clock. However, we’re eager to help oil-and-gas companies implement proactive maintenance strategies. This is our blueprint for bettering the world’s largest industries.