Mechanical Engineering Report: Case Studies of Corrosion Disasters

This mechanical engineering report examines several major corrosion-related disasters, including the Guadalajara sewer explosion, the Gaylord chemical corporation explosion, the Bhopal gas tragedy, the Flixborough disaster, and the Carlsbad pipeline explosion. The report details the causes of these disasters, such as the corrosion of water pipes, gas pipes, and pipelines, and their devastating consequences, including loss of life, injuries, and environmental damage. It emphasizes the importance of routine inspections, leak detection, and timely repairs to prevent corrosion and mitigate the risks associated with these types of incidents. The report concludes by highlighting the need for proactive measures to ensure the safety of infrastructure and prevent future disasters.

Running head: MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
Name of Student
Institution Affiliation

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INTRODUCTION
A disaster is a severe distraction that takes place over some time causing widespread loss which
surpasses the potential of the affected people to cope using its resources. Developing countries
are the hardest hit whenever disasters strike. Disasters are divided into natural and man-made.
Natural disasters include events like volcanic eruptions, cyclonic and fires and even floods. Man-
made disasters on the other hand are caused by human activities which includes oil spills and
chemical accidents from industries.
One cited failure mode is corrosion.
CORROSION.
Corrosion is a process of deterioration on a substance caused by a biochemical reaction with its
surroundings. Some of the disasters that happened due to corrosions are discussed below;
The Guadalajara sewer explosion.
The Guadalajara sewer explosion took place on 22nd April 1992 in the Analko district downtown.
Due to this explosion, 8 kilometers of streets were destroyed. 15,000 people were left homeless,
1500 people were injured and 252 people died. The sewer explosion happened due to the
connection of water pipes which were positioned above the gas connection several years before
the blast (Thomas, 2020). Due to the corrosion of water pipes, the water leaked out causing
corrosion of gas pipes and leakage of gas in sewers.
The explosion of the Gaylord chemical corporation.

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This explosion took place on 23rd 1995 at around 15:55 at Gaylord corporation factory in
Bagalusi, Louisiana. It happened due to the leak of yellow-brown steam which came out of the
dome of the railway wagon tank. This tank contained a nitrogen tetroxide mixed with water
which is very poisonous or toxic and corrosive. The mushroom-like vapor was formed which had
a diameter of 3-4m. The emergency response was notified by the staff of the company about
such leakages and immediately the fire crew arrived at the factory (Bullard, 2012).
After a short while, severe damage occurred which resulted in the breaking of the part of a tank
jacket, at this time the tank wagon moved and a big red-brown was released from the tank, this
happened for about 36 hours. This explosion caused so many lives where 4710 people were
admitted to hospitals and 81 were under treatment.
Bhopal gas tragedy.
This was a gas leakage that happened in India on the second and third day of December 1984 at
the union carbide India limited. Methyl isocyanate gas and other chemicals infiltrated the
residential areas near the plant. The immediate number of people who died was 2259. The main
cause of the accident according to the researches is said to have been pipeline corrosion (Durazo,
2012).
Flixborough disaster.
It happened on the 27th of March when a cyclohexane leak was noticed on the reactor indicated
number 5 on a vertical crack on the wall. A thorough inspection was carried out by removing it.
A decision to build a bypass between reactors was made in order to resume quick production
(Russell, 2012). An explosion that killed 28 people and left 36 others seriously injured took place

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on 1st June. This accident was due to corrosion which was caused by spraying the reactors with
water so as to dilute cyclohexane discharge and reduces ignition risk.
Calsbad pipeline explosion.
This explosion happened on 19th August 2000 at El Paso Natural Gas Company when pipelines
transmitting natural gas adjacent to Pecos River ruptured near Carlsbad in New Mexico. Due to
this explosion, 12 people died and the rest were seriously injured.
CONCLUSION.
Corrosion is a process that happens gradually on metals. Therefore, routine inspection should be
carried out at intervals within the year by experts on the pipelines, sewer systems and other areas
that are prone to explosions, this routine inspection will ensure that all the major accidents that
normally happens on the cited area above will be seriously reduced to no or bless injuries. Leaks
should be detected and repaired whenever they occur so that corrosion can be avoided at all cost.

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References
Bullard, R. D. (2012). The Wrong Complexion for Protection: How the Government Response to Disaster
Endangers African American Communities. Nairobi: NYU Press.
Durazo, L. (2012). Environmental and Health Issues in the Interior of Mexico: Options for Transnational
Safeguards. California: Proyecto Fronterizo de Educación Ambiental.
Russell, J. (2012). Flixborough Disaster. Hull: Book on Demand.
Thomas, D. (2020). Class Actions: The Law of 50 States. New York: Law Journal Press.