So we all survived those terrible mid-semesters :-). Not much else has been happening at uni, so I thought I'd put up a bit of chat about something I've been finding interesting in lectures. There's been a huge focus on runaway reactions and making sure reactors operate safely in two of my courses. Some of the stuff they talk about is pretty scary. I'll have a go at describing the one I found most shocking.

In the USA, there was a small chemical plant producing a fuel component in an exothermic reaction. Hydrogen was a product of the process. All they had to cool the reactor was a jacket filled with town water, pumped through a single pipe with no backup. So it clogged eventually and there was no alternative cooling system. The reactor got hotter, increasing the reaction rate. The outlet was too small to prevent pressure buildup and the hydrogen that was vented was sent straight into the surrounding atmosphere rather than into a backup tank. The reactor exploded and the surrounding hydrogen increased the size of the explosion. Several people were killed by the blast and the flying debris. Buildings hundreds of metres away were damaged.

It's hard to believe just how huge the consequences of poor engineering can be. Definitely motivates you to study! Especially when you think of all the amazing things good engineers can achieve :-)