Incident Report

Subject:                   Research aims to avoid repeat of Buncefield vapour cloud fire

Date of Email report:   Thu 19/07/2012

Report Detail:

A report carried out after the Buncefield vapour cloud fire could help prevent similar incidents occurring in the future (see Additional Documentation Section below).  In December 2005, the Buncefield fuel depot in Hertfordshire went up in flames after a large petrol-storage tank was overfilled, resulting in the formation of a flammable vapour cloud which ignited and caused several explosions.  A number of investigations were carried out after the incident, with the latest Health and Safety Executive-funded report looking into how different tank designs are likely to behave if they overflow and the impact on the production of flammable vapour. 

The analysis, carried out with Shell Global Solutions, also aims to pave the way for the creation of a mathematical model which can predict the size of flammable vapour clouds from overfilling releases using basic data such as tank dimensions and design.  Moreover, the report highlights the fact that there are vital processes occurring near the tank base, such as splashing and pool evaporation, that were further analysed in later studies.

Additional Documentation:

Flammable Vapour Cloud Risks From Tank Overfilling Incidents Report