Intertek’s forensic engineering team has investigated a wide variety of petrochemical accidents, explosions and fires in refineries and chemical plants.

Our multidisciplinary Total Quality Assurance team of forensic specialists understands refinery processes and has the knowledge and capabilities to investigate incidents involving plant components such as reactors, columns, process and pressure vessels, heat exchangers, fired heaters, compressors, tanks and piping.

Intertek’s forensic engineering investigations of petrochemical’s fires and explosions include:

  • On-site examination and documentation
  • Evidence control and storage
  • Field testing
  • Laboratory testing  
  • Finite element and other computer-aided modeling and analysis techniques
  • Forensic economic analysis, animation, court exhibit design and production
  • Expert witness testimony 


Coming Soon:  Case study examples of petrochemical fires and explosions that we have analysed in our forensic engineering practice:

  • Explosion at an underground natural gas storage facility 
  • Abandoned gas main piping explosion 
  • Oil well killing accident and explosion 
  • Oil well drill rig fire 
  • Oil refinery acid storage tank explosion 
  • Refinery hydrogen fire 
  • Refinery asphalt pump seal failure and fire 
  • Oil shale refinery fire 
  • Oil refinery process heater fire 
  • Oil refinery piping rupture and fire 
  • Oil refinery hydroprocessing unit fire 
  • Oil refinery hyrocracker unit fire