PEPCON chemical plant explosion - GIF

[Altair]

Pacific Engineering and Production Company of Nevada (PEPCON) chemical plant explosion in 1988. The plant manufactured ammonium perchlorate used in rocket boosters. The disaster claimed two lives, injured 372, and caused $100 million in property damage.




Previously:

Aluminum factory explosion - GIF
German chemical plant explosion - GIF
Solvent factory fire - GIF
Chemtool factory explosion - GIF
Steel plant explosion - GIF

[DIYSwede]

There was also some fuel added to nearly 4000 metric tons of oxidizer:
assuming a welding-caused small fire start and subsequent ignition of a natural gas leak from a 30+ years old pipeline running below,
which then ruptured from the first blast adding LNG to the last blasts.
"The facility also had a 16-inch (41 cm) high-pressure gas transmission line running underneath it,
carrying natural gas at 300 psi (2.1 MPa) gauge pressure."

Yield was 1 TJ, or equivalent to 1/4 kT of TNT,
putting it at # 11 amongst the largest accidental (non-nuclear) man-made explosions (yet).

About half of the Beirut explosion in Aug, 2020 (getting in at # 6).

3.5 on the Richter Earth Quake magnitude (logarithmic) scale.

Link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PEPCON_disaster
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larges...EPCON_disaster

[Fluffle-Valve]

Wow, Just Wow.Is that a shock wave you see going across the ground?

[Hoosiersmoker]

Wow, Just Wow.Is that a shock wave you see going across the ground?

Yes and it took 10 seconds to reach the camera