Observations of the plume generated by the December 2005 oil depot explosions and prolonged fire at Buncefield (Hertfordshire, UK) and associated atmospheric changes

Abstract

The explosions and subsequent fire at the Buncefield oil depot in December 2005 afforded a rare opportunity to study the atmospheric consequences of a major oil fire at close range, using ground-based remote-sensing instruments. Near-source measurements (less than 10 km) suggest that plume particles were approximately 50% black carbon (BC) with refractive index 1.73−0.42i, effective radius ( R eff ) 0.45–0.85 μm and mass loading approximately 2000 μg m −3 . About 50 km downwind, particles were approximately 60–75% BC with refractive index between 1.80−0.52i and 1.89−0.69i, R eff ∼1.0 μm and mass loadings 320–780 μg m −3 . Number distributions were almost all monomodal with peak at r <0.1 μm. Near-source UV spectroscopy revealed elevated trace gas concentrations of SO 2 (70 ppbv), NO 2 (140 ppbv), HONO (20 ppbv), HCHO (160 ppbv) and CS 2 (40 ppbv). Our measurements are consistent with others of the Buncefield plume, and with studies of the 1991 Kuwaiti oil-fire plumes; differences from the latter reflecting in part contrasts in combustion efficiency and source composition (refined fuels versus crude oils) leading to important potential differences in atmospheric impacts. Other measurements made as the plume passed overhead approximately 50 km downwind showed a reduced solar flux reaching the surface, but little effect on the atmospheric potential gradient (electric field). The wind speed data from the day of the explosion hint at a possible explosion signature.