Inspection Detail

Inspection: 122209281 - Wisconsin Electric Power Company

Inspection Information - Office: Milwaukee Area Office

Investigation Summary

A feed water inlet header pipe supplying a boiler at an electric power generating station ruptured at elevation 227. (The elevations noted in the abstract are in reference to Lake Michigan which is at a relative elevation of 0. Ground elevation at the plant was 105.) The pipe was under 1875 psi, and the contained steam was at 426 degrees Fahrenheit at the time of release. The rupture flooded the upper portion of a generation unit at the generating plant. Two supervisory employees, who were performing a routine inspection, were trapped in the area at elevation 303. One of the employees died at the scene; he had burns over 90 percent of his body. The second employee suffered burns over 60 percent of his body. He was hospitalized in critical condition. (A technical team was to conduct a failure analysis, including metallurgical evaluation of the 15-year-old pipe, after the accident. The employer's quality assurance program for determining serviceability did not include this external boiler piping system as it was not deemed a high-risk area.)

Keywords: BURN, STEAM LINE, INADEQUATE MAINT, BOILER, STEAM, ELEC UTILITY WORK, MECH MALFUNCTION