Esso Longford gas explosion
| Date | 25 September 1998 |
|---|---|
| Time | 12.26pm |
| Location | Longford, Victoria, Australia |
| Coordinates | 38°13′26″S 147°10′01″E / 38.224°S 147.167°ECoordinates: 38°13′26″S 147°10′01″E / 38.224°S 147.167°E |
| Outcome | Fire developed that lasted for two days Gas supplies to Victoria resumed on 14 October 1998. |
| Deaths | 2 Peter Wilson(Age:51) John Lowery(Age:49) |
| Non-fatal injuries | 8 |
| Inquest | Royal Commission 12 November 1998 to 15 April 1999. |
| Verdict | Found Esso fully responsible for the accident. |
The Esso Longford gas explosion was a catastrophic industrial accident which occurred at the Esso natural gas plant at Longford in the Australian state of Victoria's Gippsland region. On 25 September 1998, an explosion took place at the plant, killing two workers and injuring eight. Gas supplies to the state of Victoria were severely affected for two weeks.
In 1998, the Longford gas plant was owned by a joint partnership between Esso and BHP. Esso was responsible for the operation of the plant. Esso was a wholly owned subsidiary of US based company Exxon, which has since merged with Mobil, becoming ExxonMobil. BHP has since merged with UK based Billiton becoming BHP Billiton.
Built in 1969, the plant at Longford is the onshore receiving point for oil and natural gas output from production platforms in Bass Strait. The Longford Gas Plant Complex consists of three gas processing plants and one crude oil stabilisation plant. It was the primary provider of natural gas to Victoria, and provided some supply to New South Wales.
The feed from the Bass Strait platforms consists of liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons, water (H2O) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S). The water and H2S are removed before reaching the plant, leaving a hydrocarbon stream to be the feed to Gas Plant 1. This stream contained both gaseous and liquid components. The liquid component was known as "condensate". The LPG is further extracted by means of a shell and tube heat exchanger, in which heated "lean oil" and cold "rich oil" (oil which has absorbed LPG) are pumped into the exchanger, cooling the lean oil and heating the rich oil.
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