Piper alpha

Piper Alpha

Piper Alpha

Located about 120 miles north east ofAberdeen, Scotland.

The platform started production in 1976

Produce natural gas, LPG and crude oil

Piper Alpha contributed about 10% of the oil production from theU.K. sector of the North Sea. .

In the night before the big explosion

A condensate injection pump B broke down.

To avoid loss of production of LPG in charge engineer use another pump that is pump A to continue the production.

An eye witness saw explosion of blue flame at module C

The blue flame was cause by the leaking of LPG (liquefied petroleum gas)

The LPG was suspected leak from the safety valve.

There were two safety valves in module C and one of them in maintenance.

Later, it was found that that safety valve that was under maintenance was connected to a pump A.

The problem is how the LPG was leaked?

The leaking gas was from the loosely seal of safety valve that was suppose under maintenance.

This safety valve connected to pump A

The seal disc was tighten by hand.

This valve and pump A was not suppose to be used because of under maintenance

Not long after the blue flame explosion at module C.

Another explosion was occur beside the module C that was module B.

Burst of fire ball engulfing the module B.

The operator quickly shut down power supply. Causing no alarm system alarming others worker.

Investigator, said that the blue explosion is small and it is not suppose effected module C since it were covered with fire proof wall or panel.

But, the panel cannot withstand the explosion, that cause the panel flying in high speed and hit one of the pipe in module B that cause the explosion.

A few minutes after module B explosion

The flame was drip downward

An explosion followed, it was below the deck.

Above that area there was a main pipe line, Tartan’s gas line pressurize to 120atm (70 times pressure of tire car).

With intense heat, weak metal the pipe line explode.

Fire bellow deck

Another two remaining main pipe line explode.

Piper Alpha was burned down by flames crumble into the deep sea.

Killing 167 men and only 67 survivor.

Total insured loss was about £1.7 billion (US$3.4 billion) approximately RM10.56 billion.

The Main Causes:

Paper Work.

There two separated paper work that issued safety valve and pump under maintenance

The paper work are stored in different boxes at different platform area.

The paper work that issued on pump maintenance was located at the platform near the control panel. But the paper work on safety valve at another place.

So, since the one of the pump broke down, the engineers quickly search for the another pump paper work but not realize that that pump connected to safety valve under maintenance. Since safety valve paper work at different location.

Actions after the Disaster:

After Piper Alpha Disasterthere was an initial response from the industry. Every offshore operatorcarried out immediate wide ranging assessments of their installation andmanagement system, which included

• Improvement to the permit to work management system

•Relocation of some pipeline emergency shut-down systems

•Installation of Subsea pipeline Isolation systems (SSIV)

•Mitigation of Smoke Hazards

•Improvement Evacuation and escape systems • Initiation of Formal Safety Assessment.