debris traveling 200 ft, striking asphalt tank from an undetectable corroded valve

Emergencies and Natural Disasters · Jul 31, 2026 · 22m

debris traveling 200 ft, striking asphalt tank from an undetectable corroded valve

A routine shutdown at 5:30 AM on April 26, 2018 ended with a corroded slide valve allowing superheated catalyst to migrate and an explosion that launched debris 200 feet, punching into a steel asphalt tank holding roughly 50,000 barrels. How did a valve that read "closed" become the invisible fault line between a controlled shutdown and a near-catastrophic chemical disaster?

In this episode, you will hear what happened during that five-hour shutdown at the Superior refinery, how instrument readings misled…