Pipe Corrosion Led to Delaware Refinery Explosion

Pipe corrosion led to Del. refinery explosion
By RANDALL CHASE (AP)

NEW CASTLE, Del. — Pipe corrosion that went undetected for years led to an explosion and fire that rocked a Sunoco oil refinery in Claymont in May, authorities said Tuesday.

Investigators said the corrosion, caused by unseen condensation moisture that had collected between the bottom of a 10-inch pipe and a loose steel sleeve on which it rested, resulted in a gas leak that triggered the May 17 fire and explosion.

No one was injured, but the explosion in the ethylene complex at Sunoco's Marcus Hook Refinery lit up the night sky along the Delaware River and could be seen and felt miles away. Ethylene is a feed stock used in the production of plastics.

State Fire Marshal Grover Ingle said gas leaking from the pipe spread throughout the ethylene unit, where operating temperatures of some equipment ranged from 500 to 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

"That was enough for the escaping gases to ignite," said Ingle, who declared the fire accidental.

Sunoco spokesman Thomas Golembeski said the state's finding coincides with the results of Sunoco's own internal investigation.

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