Animation of Explosion at Tesoro's Anacortes Refinery

An explosion and fire led to the fatal injury of seven employees when a nearly forty-year-old heat exchanger catastrophically failed on April 2, 2010.

[overhang]

After binge watching many of these USCSB videos I have concluded that refinerys explode a lot!

[garywatson]

Your reconstruction videos are very informative and a valuable service.  I'd like to see you guys do a lot more of them.

[charr]

I lived about 10 miles away when this happened and the sound and feel of it was crazy. Like half of the people in our apartments came out to see what the heck happened.

[vincentserrano]

My Stepdad worked at The refinery for over 15 years. I remember the call that woke him and my mother up and I remember them being on the phone with other people trying to figure out who was out in the field that night. My stepdad grew up in town there and refinery life is in the blood of all those people. It could have been anyone, every man and woman rotates through all the jobs there at the refinery. My stepdad would have been out there the next week. Working on those same tanks. It was a really hard time for all of us, for my mom especially. My stepdad and several others retired over the next few months.

[petero.]

Actually, some of these videos would be useful for science classes in school: Dust explosions are something few even would think possible -- I'd have never thought flour or confectioner's sugar could explode.

[rkbkirin]

"The heat exchangers had a history of developing leaks during start up, something refinery personnel had come to see as 'normal'"

Yipes, really?! If anything at a refinery is freaking leaking, the safety inspectors should be called in.

[slit]

I'm a Retired UA 342 Steamfitter Anacortes is in 290 territory...I'm outta Calif... Alameda and Contra Costa we Covered.... I've worked in many refineries....And I've NEVER SEEN THOSE EXCHANGERS or BUNDLES pulled every 6 MONTHS...The only time I've seen them Pulled is on SHUTDOWNS and that could be YEARS APART....That's Bolier maker work but as a Pipe fitter we sometimes Unhooked the Pipe to the Exchanger...Most times you hardly see a company sitting in a control shack or out doing whatever....I think that Plant was a SHELL REFINERY that Blew up in Anacortes....They ALL BLOW UP... I'VE seen the Aftermath from a few Fires....At CHEVRON in Richmond Calif and Shell in Martinez Calif.... Besides Fires I've seen Chemical Releases from Union 76 in RODEO Calif by Crockett Calif and Dow Chemical in Pittsburg Calif...I was at Dow when a Release went off and they evacuated the Plant....We went to Antioch about about 5/6 miles away....On the way to Antioch you could look back at Dow from the Frontage Road and there was a GAS CLOUD ALMOST A MILE LONG....These Fires and Gas Releases go on all the Time....I Retired in 95 and they didn't Report the Fires and Releases to much...BUT NOW THEY DO because they got CAUGHT SO MANY DOW in the old days you just went in the Plants in Street clothes and in small Releases you held your Breath and walked Upwind some times having to breath that shit...Now in SIMTET...not sure if that's spelled right the guys go in fully suited up with Scott Air Packs or at least a Double Canister respirator...I know one guy that DIED from working at DOW of CANCER FROM ALL THAT SHIT....LEE DECALIGERO...As a Contractor if you said anything you're down the Road....I was Working at TASCO in Concord Calif welding Pipe on Bare Dirt and the Ground is so Polluted it would catch on fire..Small fires but thier around you then another fire about 3'or4' feet away. It went on and on I had a fire watch but he couldn't get them all out....It smelled of gas so BAD I went and got a Safety Guy and they got a TASCO safety guy with a Sniffing device that Detects explosive gas and they Shut that site Down....YEA BARE DIRT ON FIRE....Tasco is real old ... I've seen a few Drain lines Some 6" in Diameter just run Straight out into the Bay ....CARQUINEZ STRAIGHT Dumping who knows what... I'm Surprised more people aren't a Safety meeting for JACOBS...They wanted us to SIGN a paper saying it was SAFER at the Refinery than in your own home....YEA wouldn't sign it....I wish I would've stole that paper and gave it to a News Reporter after the fire....IT GOES ON AND ON....I retired in 95 and still have a ASBESTOS LAWSUIT GOING ON....I went to 7 Days of Depositions...On the 6th Day I found a few GARLOCK GASKETS in my Welding Shop... They'd been in my shop for years....There we're about 10 or 12 Lawyers in the room and another 12 on the Phones....They About SHIT when I Pulled out the Gaskets...Thier full of ASBESTOS....The lead Lawyer picked up the Gaskets and her Fingers turned Black....When she Realized what she did she wanted to go wash her SAID to her...."You aren't Scared of that stuff are you" SHE RAN..

[safetypacha]

One more tragedy however one more learning to operate rest of the plants safer. Every line personnel and service engineering personnel have to see and get the awareness. Very useful and effective educational tool. Thanks CSB Team.

[mattlogue]

Whenever you hear "startup" or "shutdown", take heed. Systems are most dressed then.

[cjk]

11 years ago today, RIP. I remember that night vividly

[julieekamps]

rip uncle darrin 😭😭😭😭 I miss him so much 😭😭 i lost my aunt 2 months ago 😢( his wife) i love u both so much rest in peace my loves 😭😢❤

[leandroguedes]

I'm Brasilian, and i used to the videos of CSB in my job. It's perfect.

[lemonfields]

These videos are really useful. They underscore the importance of chemical safety very well. Would like to see a few more of these for other accidents as well.

[midwestrenewablesllc]

I would also like to see more videos from you guys. They are the most informative and well laid out safety videos on youtube. Please make them more often!

[davidperry]

As a mechanical engineer graduate proper material selection is of the essence when designing heat exchangers for certain chemicals as well as developing maintenance routines. Copper, SS, or aluminum for water to water, SS for naphtha, and more. Even a steam heat exchanger explosion can cause life threatening burns, blast injuries, or instant deaths.

[SpearFisher]

I was friends with a gentleman in my church in Burlington, WA that had a coworker switch shifts with him so he could be with his family the next day. He didn't make it and my friend was super devastating but didn't take life for granted after that!

[chrisparkes]

I learn more about physics and chemistry and safety here than I did at school

[aprilmorris]

I've become hooked on this channel. The lack of maintenance in so many companies, this one included, totally shock 😲 me to the core. Want the fact that the CSB can't just make the changes to the law, that they can only make suggestions is disgusting. Petroleum companies have no intention of stopping these kinds of tragedies, IMHO.

[EaterofWorlds-DN]

I love these videos and how they put them together. Very educational and informative.

[colleenross]

These videos should be shown at any high school science or physics class