Estes LinkedIn post on the GOEX plant small explosion

[schworer]

"Early this morning, October 30, 2024, an explosion occurred at the GOEX Industries facility located west of Minden in Webster Parish, Louisiana. All employees have been safely evacuated, and we are relieved to report there have been no injuries.

GOEX Industries, a subsidiary of Estes Energetics, is committed to the safety and well-being of our team. We are closely monitoring the situation and working with local authorities to determine the cause of the explosion, which remains unknown at this time.

Our thoughts are with everyone impacted, and we are grateful for the swift response from our team and local emergency personnel. As always, we remain dedicated to maintaining the highest standards of safety across all operations. We will provide further updates as more information becomes available."

https://www.linkedin.com/company/estes-energetics/posts/

You can also do a Google search for media articles.

 

[Antares JS]

Great that no one was injured, at least.

 

[Bravo52]

I've been to that facility (long before Estes owned it) and it is pretty isolated from just about everything. The best news is that there were no injuries. The concerning news is GOEX is the only producer of black powder in the country.

According to the local responders..."Bossier Fire District 1 responded to the site and reported no injuries and no serious damage."

 

[Antares JS]

The concerning news is GOEX is the only producer of black powder in the country.

I'm sure there will be a production hiccup, but this hardly sounds like something that would result in closure. I imagine the cause will be determined and some new safety measures will be implemented, or some old safety measures re-stressed, to prevent re-occurrence.

 

[Zbench]

This is always amazing to me. You have here one of the oldest low explosives in the world and it is so easily detonated and touchy in the manufacturing process. And then you have the millions of pounds of tnt and other high explosives like rdx and you never hear a single notice of any of those plants going up.

 

[Bravo52]

This is always amazing to me. You have here one of the oldest low explosives in the world and it is so easily detonated and touchy in the manufacturing process. And then you have the millions of pounds of tnt and other high explosives like rdx and you never hear a single notice of any of those plants going up.

There have been several "explosions" at this particular plant over the year. If I remember correctly, they were not caused in the specific manufacturing of the BP but in the storage of the products. In the larger scheme, that is still part of the "manufacturing" or distribution process that alludes to what @Antares JS mentions above..."safety first". There have been a few "rocket motor" plant explosions over the years like the Morton-Thiokol plant in Utah in the 80s. Those tend to be during the manufacturing because of, and to Zbench's point, they material is more stable so there tends to be a need for more "active" involvement to make them blow.

 

[WizardOfBoz]

There's a pretty strong tendency to believe that nothing bad will happen to you. Especially if you are "on a mission". To make money. To be the first to do something cool. The Titan submersible illustrates this.
I have a college classmate who was working in in a chemical plant. My friend was extremely uncomfortable with the safety attitude. He was a US Army Vietnam vet, and so his thought process involved an appreciation for "Yeah, things CAN hit the fan, and if they do, it will be ugly". So he quit. The plant blew up a bit thereafter. Killed several people.
I'm hoping that Goex will review their technical processes, but also the people processes that allowed this to happen.

 

[g.pitts]

"Early this morning, October 30, 2024, an explosion occurred at the GOEX Industries facility located west of Minden in Webster Parish, Louisiana. All employees have been safely evacuated, and we are relieved to report there have been no injuries.

GOEX Industries, a subsidiary of Estes Energetics, is committed to the safety and well-being of our team. We are closely monitoring the situation and working with local authorities to determine the cause of the explosion, which remains unknown at this time.

Our thoughts are with everyone impacted, and we are grateful for the swift response from our team and local emergency personnel. As always, we remain dedicated to maintaining the highest standards of safety across all operations. We will provide further updates as more information becomes available."

https://www.linkedin.com/company/estes-energetics/posts/

You can also do a Google search for media articles.

AGAIN? Didn't this happen a few (3-4?) years ago and shut down their production for quite some time?

 

[Bravo52]

AGAIN? Didn't this happen a few (3-4?) years ago and shut down their production for quite some time?

It did...sort of. The last explosion was in a storage area...outside....not in a bunker. The company was sold to Estes after that explosion.

 

[Art Upton]

This is always amazing to me. You have here one of the oldest low explosives in the world and it is so easily detonated and touchy in the manufacturing process. And then you have the millions of pounds of tnt and other high explosives like rdx and you never hear a single notice of any of those plants going up.

Remember in the early 2000s, the AP plant going with the the Shock Wave on Camera from a mountain?

Edit: IF I Recall Correctly, that was also a Storage Issue , with tons of drums of AP in storage , I think outside. Anyone remember if they were outside?

 

[rharshberger]

Remember in the early 2000s, the AP plant going with the the Shock Wave on Camera from a mountain?

Edit: IF I Recall Correctly, that was also a Storage Issue , with tons of drums of AP in storage , I think outside. Anyone remember if they were outside?

The poly drums the AP was stored in was part of the fuel that helped feed the fire in that case, its a frequent subject of Hazardous Waste Operations cert courses, that an that complacence was a large part of the problem.

 

[manixFan]

The poly drums the AP was stored in was part of the fuel that helped feed the fire in that case, its a frequent subject of Hazardous Waste Operations cert courses, that an that complacence was a large part of the problem.

(@Art Upton) The PEPCON AP incident was in 1988, not the early 2000’s. There was also a series of natural gas leaks that fed the fire. Highly flammable fiberglass siding was also called out as a cause for the rapid spread. Once the plastic drums blew, much of the rest of the AP was in large containers, mostly aluminum, along with steel drums.

The video of the explosions is still just crazy to watch:




Tony

 

[Ronz Rocketz]

It’s a big problem here but has been getting better over the past two years. Haven’t heard as many bombs go off in the neighborhood. I would usually hear 2 or 3 per night. The belief is that you need to set off thousands of dollars of fireworks so you can make more money in the new year.



The question is how to dispose of the illegal fireworks. Years ago, they were soaking them in diesel until five workers were killed.

 

[prfesser]

This is always amazing to me. You have here one of the oldest low explosives in the world and it is so easily detonated and touchy in the manufacturing process. And then you have the millions of pounds of tnt and other high explosives like rdx and you never hear a single notice of any of those plants going up.

It's all about sensitivity. Unlike most HE, BP is sensitive to sparks. And it doesn't take much to generate a spark.

 

[WizardOfBoz]

It's all about sensitivity. Unlike most HE, BP is sensitive to sparks. And it doesn't take much to generate a spark.

And friction. The procedures were truly insane for the BP disposal. Sliding a cardboard box across a floor with BP on it and ... Boom.

 

[cwbullet]

I'm sure there will be a production hiccup, but this hardly sounds like something that would result in closure. I imagine the cause will be determined and some new safety measures will be implemented, or some old safety measures re-stressed, to prevent re-occurrence.

You are probably right. They will probably stop or reduce production and most will be sent to GOV projects if there is a reduction. No reason to hoard, there is plenty of 4F out there at the time.

 

[bad_idea]

You are probably right. They will probably stop or reduce production and most will be sent to GOV projects if there is a reduction. No reason to hoard, there is plenty of 4F out there at the time.

Estes said in a NAR presentation a year or so ago that prior to their purchase of Goex, they were Goex' largest customer. So a protracted shutdown could lead to Estes motor shortages, to go along with the shortage of Aerotech, CTI, and Loki motors we already suffer.

 

[cwbullet]

Estes said in a NAR presentation a year or so ago that prior to their purchase of Goex, they were Goex' largest customer. So a protracted shutdown could lead to Estes motor shortages, to go along with the shortage of Aerotech, CTI, and Loki motors we already suffer.

True but not so during the return. The DOD reported asked for priority.

 

[bad_idea]

True but not so during the return. The DOD reported asked for priority.

DoD undoubtedly gets priority (and likely always has: largest customer ≠ highest priority customer), which is precisely why I speculate that a protracted outage would lead to shortfalls in Estes production.

 

[Art Upton]

In the sound of the Chinese lady that is recorded in Baofeng radios, "Hoarding Begin"

 

[Titan II]

No reason to hoard, there is plenty of 4F out there at the time.

One man's hoarding is another man's forward-thinking.

 

[Art Upton]

One man's hoarding is another man's forward-thinking.

Lookin' at all the TP folks still have on hand...

Hold on while I move this stack of 30 rolls to get to my hoard stash of PSII kits...

 

[Ronz Rocketz]

Could always use Qjet motors (now that they've figured out the nozzle issue), but Gary mentioned delays and slow inventory due to military contracts. Vendors have complained about getting small monthly shipments from AT. I wonder if the delays continue or is it effecting only the big HPR motors?

 

[shockie]

Could always use Qjet motors (now that they've figured out the nozzle issue), but Gary mentioned delays and slow inventory due to military contracts. Vendors have complained about getting small monthly shipments from AT. I wonder if the delays continue or is it effecting only the big HPR motors?

Ahh, what was the nozzle issue with the Qjets?

 

[bjphoenix]

Ahh, what was the nozzle issue with the Qjets?

I've seen a number of them where the clay nozzles either blew out or deteriorated significantly. If the opening in the nozzle is larger than intended then the thrust is significantly reduced.