A bioethanol distillation plant collapsed after a structural fire caused by a static spark in the hot gas purge. The incident, which affected several areas of the process, has been reconstructed using a 3D pipeline that combines photogrammetry with fluid dynamics simulations. This case represents a clear example of how a technical detail can trigger a catastrophe.
3D Reconstruction: from Pix4D to PyroSim in forensic analysis 🔥
The forensic team used Pix4D to generate a digital model of the terrain and the collapsed structure from drone images. Then, that model was transferred to PyroSim to simulate the spread of fire and smoke, starting from the ignition in the purge. The cross-referenced results allowed identifying that the accumulation of ethanol vapor and the lack of proper grounding in the purge pipe were the critical factors for the initial explosion.
The spark that ignited the purge and shut down production ⚡
It sounds like a joke, but a simple static spark, like the ones you feel when touching a doorknob, was enough to turn a purge pipe into an industrial flamethrower. The grounding protocols, which are usually in a dusty manual in the control room, were exposed. The plant is now a monument to basic physics: static electricity and ethanol don't mix well, no matter how much engineers know it.