A fire at a methane reforming plant put safety teams on alert. The origin was a micro-crack in the weld bead of the thermal collector, causing a leak of flammable gas. The incident, although controlled without casualties, exposes the fragility of critical joints in high pressure and temperature processes.
Forensic analysis with FARO Scene and FLACS 🔥
The investigation of the incident used two key tools: FARO Scene for the 3D scanning of the damaged collector, allowing the micro-crack to be measured with millimeter precision. Then, FLACS software modeled the methane dispersion and ignition conditions. The results confirmed that the crack, barely visible to the naked eye, was sufficient to generate a flammable cloud that found a nearby heat source.
The weld that couldn't even hold up for a coffee break ☕
It seems the weld bead needed a latte to gather strength. A micro-crack, smaller than a fingernail, achieved what an earthquake could not: shutting down the plant. Good thing the engineers already have the 3D scanner to scold the bead, because to the naked eye, the culprit seemed as harmless as a cat scratch.