Fire in waste tank
Incident
A waste tank caught fire whilst being cleaned
The Investigation
A 200m3 tank needed to be cleaned, this had been used for aqueous waste from a nitric acid process. The liquid had been pumped out, but some residue remained, therefore a contractor was brought in. By now the residue had solidified, the contractor, knowing that the material was acidic, added lime. Local heating then ignited the tars in the waste, and the tank liner was destroyed. Fortunately the fire was contained within the tank.