Emergencies and World Disasters
One Valve Between Them: How Reboiler B Blew Apart in Three Minutes
24 min•26 juli 2026
Om avsnittet
One Valve Between Them: How Reboiler B Blew Apart in Three Minutes
Fear of a slow, avoidable catastrophe: a sealed reboiler held sixteen months of liquid propane behind a single block valve - and at 8:36 AM on June 13, 2013, thirty thousand pounds of hydrocarbons erupted, killing two men. What single decision started a three-minute chain that exposed a twelve-year trail of warnings and a missing safety review?
In this episode, you will hear how the Williams Olefins plant operated for forty-five years without a catastrophic incident, the sequence of leaks and corrosion reports leading up to June 13, 2013, and the operational choices that brought Reboiler B back into service - could a missing procedure and one valve explain the disaster?
Person: Two plant workers who did not survive
Date: June 13, 2013
Location: Williams Olefins plant, Geismar, Louisiana
Event: Rupture of Reboiler B with thirty thousand pounds of hydrocarbons released
Period: Reboiler B idle since February 2012 (16 months)
- At 8:33 AM on June 13, 2013, hot water began flowing into Reboiler B per the process log.
- Three minutes later, at 8:36 AM, the reboiler shell ruptured and thirty thousand pounds of hydrocarbons were released.
- Reboiler B had been taken offline in February 2012 and left sealed for sixteen months without a pipe blind installed.
- A December 18, 2012 leak released 514 pounds of propylene at a corrosion site documented in plant records.
- The plant processed 650,000 tons of ethylene and 40,000 tons of propylene per year and had added valves in 2001 to allow independent operation of the reboilers.
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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].
Fear of a slow, avoidable catastrophe: a sealed reboiler held sixteen months of liquid propane behind a single block valve - and at 8:36 AM on June 13, 2013, thirty thousand pounds of hydrocarbons erupted, killing two men. What single decision started a three-minute chain that exposed a twelve-year trail of warnings and a missing safety review?
In this episode, you will hear how the Williams Olefins plant operated for forty-five years without a catastrophic incident, the sequence of leaks and corrosion reports leading up to June 13, 2013, and the operational choices that brought Reboiler B back into service - could a missing procedure and one valve explain the disaster?
Person: Two plant workers who did not survive
Date: June 13, 2013
Location: Williams Olefins plant, Geismar, Louisiana
Event: Rupture of Reboiler B with thirty thousand pounds of hydrocarbons released
Period: Reboiler B idle since February 2012 (16 months)
- At 8:33 AM on June 13, 2013, hot water began flowing into Reboiler B per the process log.
- Three minutes later, at 8:36 AM, the reboiler shell ruptured and thirty thousand pounds of hydrocarbons were released.
- Reboiler B had been taken offline in February 2012 and left sealed for sixteen months without a pipe blind installed.
- A December 18, 2012 leak released 514 pounds of propylene at a corrosion site documented in plant records.
- The plant processed 650,000 tons of ethylene and 40,000 tons of propylene per year and had added valves in 2001 to allow independent operation of the reboilers.
To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.
© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].
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