Revisiting the Jonava ammonia tank rupture 35 years on

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Overview

20 March 1989 is regarded as Lithuania’s “Chemical Chernobyl”; an industrial catastrophe on a scale unheard of in the then soviet-occupied republic. Poor design and operator error at the state-owned “Azotas” fertiliser plant led to an ammonia storage tank rupturing at its base, smashing through its containment bund, and flooding the facility with 7,000 tonnes of chilled liquid ammonia. The resulting fire spread to a nearby store, initiating the decomposition of large stockpiles of nitrophoska fertiliser.

Whilst officially there were seven fatalities and 57 injuries, it was only remarkable good fortune that prevented the toll from being much worse. The findings of the official investigations left industry confused with misconceptions of a “phantom rollover” persisting to this day.

This presentation explains the generally accepted theory of “thermal overload”, reveals the design error that led to the tank’s unexpected failure, and discusses the increasing importance of emergency management as the Soviet Union began to disintegrate. With ammonia set to play a key role in the energy transition, there will only be an increased number of facilities for its storage and transport. The learnings of the Jonava tragedy are therefore as relevant going forward as they ever have been.

The material presented in this webinar has not been peer-reviewed. Any opinions are the presenter’s own and do not necessarily represent those of IChemE or the IChemE Safety Centre in full. The information is given in good faith but without any liability on the part of IChemE.