re: BREAKING - Explosion at Williams Gas Plant in Gibson - 4 dead, 2 injured

It is the old Transco Bayou Black facility near Gibson

It is a liquids pipeline facility with some onsite tank storage. Apparently one of the stock tanks exploded while they were doing some kind of maintenance in the facility. If I had to guess I would say there were some vapors trapped in the tank that ignited. The facility was out of service while they were working. Sad to hear this

Sludge Tank: when they pig the pipelines the pig will bring in liquids and sludge. Usually the fluids and solids will come into the facility, go through the slug catcher And be diverted to a tank. The sludge will fall to the bottom, the water on top of it and the oil on top of the water. They will then pump off the oil and water back into the system. The oil and water will then be separated. Oil will be sold, water disposed of.

Eventually they will clean out the sludge tank with a vacuum truck and a crew. My Guess is they were cleaning out the sludge tank when something terrible happened. Maybe didn't have the tank completely vented or something and trapped gas in the tank exploded