Emulsion treater catches on fire

Location: Peace River Region

Regulated industry sector: Boilers, PV & refrigeration - Boiler and pressure vessel system

Incident overview

As part of the separation process to break down the emulsion, the emulsion is heated in a treater which is a horizontal separator containing a fire tube in it where natural gas is burned to provide heat. The fire tube is in contact with the emulsion and once heated, gravity then separates the emulsion into useable products. The emulsion treater pad caught fire. Fatigue cracking combined with brittle corrosion may have contributed to this failure. No one was injured.