A vapor release incident at Dover Chemicals plant in Dover, Ohio, on Monday led to a temporary evacuation of the facility. Caused by a reactor overheating, the incident was contained and didnt impact other plant lines.
On Monday, May 21, Dover Chemical had an overheating incident in one of its phosphite reactors, Jack Teat, the companys executive vice president of sales, told Lube Report. The reactor chamber vented smoke and steam and was eventually contained, and there were no injuries (within the plant), no explosions, no fires and no liquid spills. There was no damage to any of the other plant lines.
The facility was evacuated for several hours, he said, and the highway next to the facility was closed temporarily while the situation was under investigation. Most of the plant resumed production by Tuesday. Lubricant additive products were not affected, Teat said. Dover does not expect any significant order delays as a result of the incident, which remains under investigation.
According to a Dover Fire Department statement, Dover Chemical contacted the department at 9:19 a.m. on Monday to report a vapor release at its plant. The fire department said it was advised by plant personnel that the release was caused by a reactor overheating, which resulted in off-gassing of dipropylene glycol, which was one of the reactants in the reactor. Dipropylene glycols uses include as a solvent and chemical intermediate.
All employees were accounted for and no plant personnel nor firefighters were injured, the fire department stated. We are aware of two people who were driving by who went to two different hospitals for treatment of respiratory irritation.
Fire department and Dover Chemical plant personnel collaboratively cooled down the reactor vessel. The most concerning problem at hand was the possibility of a ruptured vessel and consequently a fire, the department said. Hazardous materials teams from both Tuscarawas and Stark counties monitored the situation. Area fire departments from New Philadelphia, Strasburg, Bolivar, Sugarcreek and Smith Ambulance also assisted at the scene.
Dover Chemical is a subsidiary of chemical maker ICC Industries Inc. It supplies the lubricants and other industries with a variety of chemical additives.