Interesting thread about the importance of the chemical plant explosion & fire in Russia

[Nevilledog]

Link to tweet

Unrolled thread
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1517510440598843394.html


A 🧵on the #Dmitrievsky #Chemical Plant explosion and fire. On @Twitter I mostly post on Data Security (20year as a CxO and #Votehacking. But I also have 9 years as CEO and longer on BODs of #AdvancedMaterials / #NanoMaterials.

The extreme damage, perhaps total destruction of this chemical plant is going to have a spectacular and massive impact on the #RussianArmy. Possibly grinding entire systems to a stop in weeks, perhaps even days.

Like many industrial sectors in #Russia, they tend to be centralized, massive + singular. This is generally a result of historic centralization of production under the Soviet model, and a fear of building massive high-cost infrastructure by nonRU firms #BASF #DuPont etc.

At one of my prior firms, bid products from this plant. AFAIK, they are the only maker of a huge range of solvents and reactives of this kind in W. #Russia. See here:

https://www.dcpt.ru/production/prochie-produkty/

Among the products this plant made are the additives needed for advanced rocket/jet fuels, treatments/solvents for servicing metal parts, core input chemicals for explosive and solvents/traces/washes needed to manufacture electronics and circuits.

This plant, was a PROCESS CRITICAL Tier 2/3 supplier to dozens/hundreds of suppliers for everything needed in war. For those who may think Tier 1/2s will have stock on hand; Nope. At most 2-3 weeks as these are VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) that die on the shelf.

I will provide a Domestic Example. In mid 2020 Midland MI had a 100 year flood and a massive local dam failure. That flood knocked out DOZENS of 1-of-a-kind US Specialty Chemical processes centered in that area. My firms, and 100s of others had to scramble for global backfill.

It took 18+ months of global fill-in sourcing for US firms to stabilize post Midland Floods and US Production still has not fully recovered. #RussiaSanctions will prevent them from doing the same. I am certain in every corner of #Russian industry is in full panic.

I have been reading the brilliant #RussiaUkraineWar coverage of @OzKaterji @Militarylandnet @KofmanMichael @HN_Schlottman @Nrg8000 but if this #ChemicalPlant Fire is as bad as it appears, this will not be a long war. #Russia has lost a unique key tool it needs to make #War.
If you have not seen the fire, or know what I am talking about...here is the Mirror's coverage...

Russia's biggest chemical plant burns down in second mystery fire in a day
Dramatic footage shows smoke billowing from the Dmitrievsky Chemical Plant in the city of Kineshma
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/breaking-russias-biggest-chemical-plant-26767453

Of course the solution to this issue will likely be #China. I am sure they are likely scrambling to backfill/replace #Russia as I type, but that is going to be complicated on a numerous levels.
• • •

[Beetwasher.]

1. That is Some Serious Fucking Asymmetry Right There

[stopdiggin]

2. thank you. honestly have to say - no idea that BFD. -(nt)-

[ProfessorGAC]

3. It's Big Place, But....

...it's not truly huge as chemical works go.
It's under 100,000 square meters. I've been in plenty of sites over a million square meters. I'm guessing this is Russia's largest plant of this type.
Pictures I was able to find show mostly distillation equipment, so I think it's mostly a solvent plant.
I don't see a lot of buildings that would host large reaction vessels, but their product line includes short chain acetate solvents, so they have to have some sizeable kettles.
Their literature also talks about dyes & pigments. That scares me a bit as the precursors to those end products tend to be toxic. A big fire could make those airborne.