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CSB Investigation Report No. 2018-03-I-WI 2018 Safety Safety
Husky Superior Refinery Explosion
Husky Energy Superior Refinery, Wisconsin
Related equipment → Distillation column (distillation_column)
0Fatalities
11Injuries
ExplosionMechanism code ELP
⌗Failure Mode · ISO 14224 Mapping
Damage mechanism (recorded in KB)
ExplosionELP
ISO functional code (as recorded)
ISO 14224:2016 functional failure code
ELP · External leakage - process
ISO ELP — External leakage - process.
1What Happened

Atmospheric distillation unit (pipestill) corrosion leak -> explosion

2Root Cause

Atmospheric tower feed line corrosion thinning + excessively long inspection interval

3Reliability Lessons (from investigation root cause)
  • Atmospheric tower feed line corrosion thinning
  • excessively long inspection interval
4Associated Failure Mechanisms (Keywords)
atmospheric distillation corrosion leak explosion weld crack internal thinning
About the Failure-Mode Code (click to expand)

The recorded code ELP is an ISO 14224:2016 functional failure code (describes what the equipment failed to do). The damage mechanism (how it failed) is shown in the Mapping block above. The two are distinct dimensions in ISO 14224.

5Evidence Source (transparent)
Authority：U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB)
Official Report：www.csb.gov ↗
Data Verification：verified_url_csb_sitemap
↗Related Failure Modes · Traceability
Internal Corrosion Thinning internal_corrosion_thinningStress Corrosion Cracking (SCC) sccWeld Crack weld_crackHydrogen-Induced Cracking / Blistering (HIC/HB) hic_hbCorrosion corrosionFireproofing Loss fireproofing_lossFlange Leak flange_leakNozzle Weld Crack nozzle_weld_crackTray Corrosion tray_corrosionValve Sticking valve_stickingDowncomer Plugging downcomer_pluggingFlooding floodingPacking Degradation packing_degradationPacking Fouling packing_foulingDistributor Plugging distributor_pluggingTube Fouling tube_foulingTube Leak tube_leakTube Fouling tube_fouling_2Tube Perforation tube_perforationImpulse Line Blockage impulse_line_blockageSensor Drift sensor_driftTrim Erosion trim_erosionPositioner Failure positioner_failure
Report No. 2018-03-I-WI · Data from CSB public investigation conclusions, compiled by Reliability AI, for reliability demonstration purposes only. This case is derived from public incident investigation reports for learning purposes only. AIM does not endorse or guarantee its accuracy.