Explosion shatters chemistry lab
The normal routine of the Chemistry Department was disrupted last week by an incident in the RCS1 building. At 11am last Thursday the Tilden Laboratory, on the second floor of the block, was ripped apart by an explosion.
The source of the explosion was traced to a fume cupboard in use at the time by two post-graduate students conducting an ether distillation experiment. Despite being present in the room, both escaped uninjured.
According to an eyewitness, there was an initial "bang" and the fume cupboard burst into flames. A wall of fire engulfed one side of the room, blocking the main exit.
The force of the explosion caused considerable damage, though the fire, which involved approximately 1.5 litres of ether, quickly burned itself out. Several windows in the lab and in adjacent rooms were shattered and much of the ducting system leading from the fume cupboard through to the roof also suffered substantial damage. Some debris from this ducting landed on the upper working level of the BMS site, and glass from the laboratory windows landed between site huts. Some debris was found in Imperial Institute Road outside Civil Engineering.
The iron bolt on the door leading from the Tilden Lab to an adjacent office was blown apart, and a refrigerator containing toxic chemicals was propelled through the doorway. Two members of staff, wearing breathing apparatus, emptied the aforementioned fridge and later transferred its contents to another store.
There was a slight time lapse between the explosion and the arrival on the scene of the officials concerned. This was in part due to the fire-alarm system in the Tilden Lab not being connected to the alarms in the rest of the building because of an earlier failure of the temporary battery back-up system for the other alarms. This in turn had been in operation for only eight hours because of an electrical fault in the Library when the fuse box fused. The state of the fire alarms was described by one member of the Chemistry Department as "ludicrously dangerous". However, staff arrived quickly and began enquiries immediately. The incident was reported to the Health and Safety Executive, in accordance with regulations, at 11.15am.
Several people present when the explosion occurred, including Dr Graham Saville of the Chemical-Engineering Department who was an expert advisor on the Piper Alpha inquiry, were involved in the initial investigation. A thorough enquiry into the circumstances of the explosion is currently under way, but as yet its exact causes are unknown. The suspect experiment had been checked thirty seconds before the incident and nothing appeared to be amiss with the distillation process.
It is suspected that the Teflon seal on the distillation flask did not fit perfectly, allowing ether vapour to escape into the fume cupboard. Due to some confusion about the two electrical control switches present in the lab, it appears that the cupboard’s extraction fan was not turned on, allowing the vapour, from whatever origin, to build up. The ignition source has not been isolated.
According to Ian Gillett, Safety Director, all those involved were extremely helpful, including Schal, the contractors working on the BMS building. He said the laboratory should "realistically be fit for use by students within about one month" but it all depends on the insurance company involved and those who will receive the contract for the extensive reconstruction work.
Elsewhere, the water leak that caused temporary power failures in the Library and Sherfield Building (as reported in last week’s Felix) has come under scrutiny following the revelation by one electrician working on repairs that water "had been leaking for some time" into the generator room. Keith Reynolds, Head of Fire and Security, was quick to reassure Felix that the leakage had presented no danger.
Heavier rain over the previous few days is thought to have been responsible for the accident.
