Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford Flixborough: The Factory that was Wiped off the Map
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Dec 12, 2025 In a small English village, a nylon production plant faces disaster after a reactor vessel fails. Engineers create a makeshift pipe to keep production going, unknowingly setting the stage for a massive explosion. Eyewitness accounts reveal the terrifying impact on homes and villagers. Amid Cold War tensions, the story unfolds with the consequences of prioritizing output over safety. As the blast reshapes the community, it highlights the crucial balance between industrial ambition and human risk.
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Building One Mega-Plant
- NYPRO built a single mega-plant at Flixborough to make caprolactam and expected huge economies of scale. The plant used six reactor vessels arranged to let gravity move cyclohexane through the process.
Economies Versus Resilience
- Centralising production yields economies but reduces resilience and concentrates risk. The missing mechanical engineer and narrow training meant critical mechanical issues went unnoticed.
The Temporary Dogleg Pipe
- After Reactor 5 cracked, workers fabricated a temporary 20-inch dogleg pipe in 30 hours to reconnect vessels four and six. The replacement lacked proper support, used smaller diameter piping and omitted necessary engineering checks.