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Trelleborg has developed a product, that can withstand a jet fire - the cause of the Piper Alpha disaster. The product is already in use on several platforms, primarily in the North Sea as the aging oil rigs become more of a safety concern It was 9:31 p.m. on July 6, 1988 when the alarm sounded. The Piper Alpha oil platform off the British coast was burning. The fire was intensive and spread rapidly. Within seconds, the entire platform was ablaze and had split in two. A total of 167 persons lost their lives. The cause of the fire was primarily engineering maintenance related due to a leak in a pipe that started what is called a jet fire. This is a very explosive fire that can reach a temperature of 1,300°C within a few seconds. The flame, which was as hot as a welding arc, quickly burned out the water circulation system, mak-ing it impossible to save the platform.
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Thursday 15 November, 2007 03:03 AM |
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