Phillips Disaster 1989

The Phillips Disaster refers to a devastating series of
explosions and fire on October 23, 1989 near the Houston

Ship Channel in Pasadena, Texas, USA , causing death of 23
employees and 314 injured 185 Phillips 66 employees and
129 contract employees.
The Houston Chemical Complex (HCC) facility

had 905 company employees and approximately
600 daily contract employees, who were engaged
primarily in regular maintenance activities and new
plant construction.
The facility produced approximately 15,000 million pounds
There may have been as many as six more explosions in

all.
The fire was brought under control within about 10 hours as a result of the
combined efforts of fire brigades from other nearby companies, localfire
departments, and thePhillips 66foam trucks and fire brigade.
Spontaneous Chain Transfer:

Cr CH2 CH2 polymer -> Cr H + CH2 = CH polymer
This is the principal chain-transfer for the Phillips process with the use of a chromium
catalyst. Its importance increases rapidly with increasing temperature and it provides
easy means of controlling molecular weight.
Chain Transfer with Hydrogen:
Cr polymer + H2 -> Cr H + polymer - H
BASIC CAUSES
PERSONAL FACTOR
JOB FACTOR
MANAGEMENT/ORGANIZATION
FACTOR
Site procedures laid down

details that air hoses to valves
were to be disconnected prior to
maintenance work was not
carried out
Ventilation intakes of buildings

close to or downwind of the
process plant were not arranged
to prevent the intake of gas in
the event of release
An effective permit to work

(PTW)
for
both
company
employees and contractors was
not enforced by the company
It was likely that individuals in

certain parts of the plant were
unable to hear the siren
The intended control centre was

damaged beyond use and
telephone communications were
disrupted
Both the company and industry

safety required isolation by
means of double-block system
or the use of blind flange.
However, at a plant level a
procedure had been adopted
which did not comply with this
The air hoses to the valve had

been cross-connected so that
the air supply that should have
closed the valve actually opened
it
The location of the control

room,
separation
distances
between plant and escape
routes
(particularly
for
administrative
staff)
were
criticised
The site held a large inventory of

flammable materials under high
pressure yet it has no fixed gas
detection system
ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS
Reactor Settling
Leg
Demco Valve
Based on OSHAs findings there are few weakness in the

Phillips 66 Company Houston Chemical Complex production
plants:
23 employees who were

within 250 ft of the point
where the gas was initially
released were killed while
314 people were injured.
Capital
losses
were
initially estimated at over
$715 million. Business
disruption losses were
nearly as great, $700
million.
CIMA
Chairperson,
L.
Douglas Miller, and Safety
and Security Director for
the Phillips plant, R.A.
Wiederstein, were aware
of the fuels involved in the
fire and knew there was
no toxic problem with the
smoke being emitted.
SITE PLAN OF
PHILLIPS PLANT
PASADENA
AREA
CONCLUSION
Peacock, A. J. (2000). Handbook of Polyethylene: Structures, Properties and Applications. Marcel

Dekker, Inc: New York
Yates, J. (1989). U.S. Fire Administration/Technil Report Series: Phillips Petroleum Chemical Plant
Explosion and Fire
MacDonald, D. (2004). Practical Hazops, Trips and Alarms. Newnes Elsevier: Netherlands, pg 23
Tweeddale, M. (2003). Managing Risk and Reliability of Process Plants. Gulf Professional Publishing:
USA
Lees, F. P., 2005, Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, 3rd Edition, Butterworth
Heinemann, Burlington, USA
High
Density
Polyethylene.
n.d.
Retreived
March
http://wwwcourses.sens.buffalo.edu/ce435/Polyethylene/CE435Kevin.htm
16,
2015.
Klutz, T. (1993). Lessons from Disaster: How Organizations have no Memory and Accidents. Institution
of Chemical Engineers: Warwickshire, UK. Pg 9 10
Hyatt, N. (2003). Guidelines for Process Hazard Analysis, Hazard identification and Risk. Dyadem
Press: Ontario, Canada. Pg 11
Bethea, R. M. n.d. Phillips 66: Fire and Explosion. Texas Tech University

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What caused the explosions and fire at the Phillips plant?

What caused the explosions and fire at the Phillips plant?

What were the consequences of the explosions and fire?

What were the consequences of the explosions and fire?

The Phillips Disaster refers to a devastating series of

explosions and fire on October 23, 1989 near the Houston

The Houston Chemical Complex (HCC) facility

The facility produced approximately 15,000 million pounds

There may have been as many as six more explosions in

Spontaneous Chain Transfer:

Site procedures laid down

Ventilation intakes of buildings

An effective permit to work

It was likely that individuals in

The intended control centre was

Both the company and industry

The air hoses to the valve had

The location of the control

The site held a large inventory of

ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS

Based on OSHAs findings there are few weakness in the

23 employees who were

Peacock, A. J. (2000). Handbook of Polyethylene: Structures, Properties and Applications. Marcel

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