T2 Laboratories explosion and fire

View from Downtown Jacksonville
Date	December 19, 2007
Venue	T2 Laboratories Inc.
Location	Jacksonville, Florida
Type	Explosion, Industrial disaster
Deaths	4
Non-fatal injuries	14

The T2 Laboratories explosion and fire occurred on December 19, 2007, in Jacksonville, Florida, resulting in the deaths of four people and the injury of fourteen others. ^{[1] [2]} T2 Laboratories Inc. was a facility that specialized in the manufacture of specialty chemicals primarily for gasoline additives. ^{[3] [4]}

The explosion's force was equivalent to detonating 1,400 lb (640 kg) ^[5] of TNT and it spread debris up to 1 mi (1.6 km) from the plant. ^[6] Following the explosion, every HAZMAT unit in Jacksonville and over 100 firefighters fought the ensuing blaze, which a spokesman termed a "hellish inferno". ^[2]

The blast killed Robert Scott Gallagher, 49; Charles Budds Bolchoz, 48; Karey Renard Henry, 35; and Parrish Lamar Ashley, 36. ^[2] At the time of his death, Gallagher was Marketing Director for T2 Labs. ^[7] Fourteen people were hospitalized for chemical exposure or their injuries after the blast. ^[2] The company laid off workers and shut down in the following months. ^[8]

In September 2009, a report was released by the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board as to the cause of the accident. ^[5] The explosion occurred in a 2,500 US gal (9,500 L) batch reactor during production of methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl (MCMT). The reactor cooling system, which lacked backup systems, failed; this led to a thermal runaway. Pressures rapidly reached 400 psi (28 bar), bursting the reactor's rupture disc, but this was insufficient to slow the runaway reaction. Nearby witnesses described a jet engine-like sound as high pressure gases vented from the reactor. At the same time pressure increased in the reactor, temperatures also increased in the reactor until the solvent ( diglyme) reached decomposition temperature. ^[9] The pressure and temperature continued to increase until the reactor violently detonated. Damage from the explosion was severe enough that 4 buildings in the immediate vicinity of the plant were condemned. ^[10]

References

External links

• CSB safety investigation video

30°26′02″N 81°34′05″W / 30.434°N 81.568°W / 30.434; -81.568