The West Texas Explosion: An Avoidable Tragedy

The Wheeler Grain Storage was built in 1982 near Athens, Alabama. This dome has a diameter of 150’, a height of 75’ and an excavated portion of 20’ under the dome. That excavated portion increased the volume for storing grain. It was outfitted with a tunnel for extraction, and it had a fan system for aerating the grain.

The Wheeler Grain Storage was built in 1982 near Athens, Alabama. This dome has a diameter of 150’, a height of 75’ and an excavated portion of 20’ under the dome. That excavated portion increased the volume for storing grain. It was outfitted with a tunnel for extraction, and it had a fan system for aerating the grain.

Wheeler Grain Storage: The grain did a slow burn for several months, while the owner and his team looked for a way to stop it. They were told it would explode, and one night it did! It awakened people four miles away! Note: The lower shell’s super-strong wall held the pressure from the methane explosion, and the top blew off. This is typical. The release of pressure tends to drag the broken roof section back into the dome. Almost no concrete landed outside the floor area.

Wheeler Grain Storage: The grain did a slow burn for several months, while the owner and his team looked for a way to stop it. They were told it would explode, and one night it did! It awakened people four miles away! Note: The lower shell’s super-strong wall held the pressure from the methane explosion, and the top blew off. This is typical. The release of pressure tends to drag the broken roof section back into the dome. Almost no concrete landed outside the floor area.

Wheeler Grain Storage: We offered to put the top back on the dome, but they did not consider it necessary as the need for storage had disappeared. So the dome stands as shown. It’s both a monument to its strength and blast-resistance and a testament to its longevity.

Wheeler Grain Storage: We offered to put the top back on the dome, but they did not consider it necessary as the need for storage had disappeared. So the dome stands as shown. It’s both a monument to its strength and blast-resistance and a testament to its longevity.

Wheeler Grain Storage: Twenty-five plus years later it still stands as an example of its strength. It released the energy vertically and not horizontally where it would have done a lot of collateral damage.

Wheeler Grain Storage: Twenty-five plus years later it still stands as an example of its strength. It released the energy vertically and not horizontally where it would have done a lot of collateral damage.

Ammonium Nitrate Storage — At the Peabody Coal plant in Kenova, West Virginia, this Monolithic Dome is the largest ammonium nitrate (blasting powder) storage built since Texas City was blown off the map in the 1950s. Ammonium nitrate mixed with diesel fuel was used to break-up the rock over the coal seams of Kentucky.

Ammonium Nitrate Storage — At the Peabody Coal plant in Kenova, West Virginia, this Monolithic Dome is the largest ammonium nitrate (blasting powder) storage built since Texas City was blown off the map in the 1950s. Ammonium nitrate mixed with diesel fuel was used to break-up the rock over the coal seams of Kentucky.

The Monolithic Dome is strong enough to carry the conveyors on top of it and support the circulating conveyor from the roof. It allows for a much larger, spread-out storage pile.

The Monolithic Dome is strong enough to carry the conveyors on top of it and support the circulating conveyor from the roof. It allows for a much larger, spread-out storage pile.

As can be seen, the storage is about empty. As the pile builds up, the rotator moves around to create a much better distributed pile.

As can be seen, the storage is about empty. As the pile builds up, the rotator moves around to create a much better distributed pile.