As investigations into the explosion at Petrocedeño’s atmospheric distillation unit unfold, technical evidence suggests a “perfect storm” of operational failures as the most likely cause. The incident aligns with the phenomenon known as bumping, or violent ebullition, where explosive vaporization of water present in crude oil caused a rupture in the column. This technological disaster raises suspicions of two potential sabotages: one, geopolitical from external actions; and another, operational, stemming from internal corruption, disinvestment, and neglect of productive assets.
Written by: La Tabla/Data Journalism Platform 20 NOV 2025
Source: Technical analysis based on reports from La Tabla and scientific characterization of “bumping.”
The explosion and fire recorded at the atmospheric distillation plant of the Petrocedeño upgrader, a catastrophe with severe consequences, finds its most solid explanation in a specific technical phenomenon: bumping or violent ebullition. This situation unveils two hypotheses of sabotage that need to be considered. On one hand, a geopolitical sabotage linked to covert operations in the framework of economic warfare. On the other hand, an operational sabotage, less visible but equally destructive, manifested in the collapse of dehydration trains in the field, postponed maintenance, and negligence towards crude oil with a high saline water content, culminating in the “perfect storm” that ruptured the column.
The mechanism of the catastrophe: from theory to reality at Petrocedeño
The sequence of events detailed in the report matches point by point with the scientific characterization of an explosion due to violent ebullition:
1. The prior condition: crude oil with excessive saline water
· Article: “The crude oil sent from the production fields contains a high percentage of saline water and the dehydration trains… are not functioning.”
· Technical Analysis: This is the root cause. Heavy crude from the Orinoco Belt is particularly prone to forming stable emulsions with water. Without proper pretreatment (dehydration and desalination), the crude enters the distillation unit as a lethal contaminant.
2. The trigger: explosive vaporization in the column
· Article: The explosion occurred in the atmospheric distillation column after the crude passed through the furnace.
· Technical Analysis: The damp crude is preheated in the furnace to temperatures exceeding 300°C. Water, which boils at 100°C, remains in a metastable liquid state while dispersed in oil. Upon entering the distillation column, where the pressure is slightly lower, the water vaporizes instantly. This explosive phase change increases the volume thousands of times in seconds, generating a destructive pressure wave. This is “bumping”.
3. The catastrophic consequence: rupture of the column
· Article: The event “ruptured the atmospheric distillation column.”
· Technical Analysis: The instantaneous internal overpressure generated by vaporization of water far exceeds the design limits of any equipment. This is not a simple combustion explosion, but a mechanical failure due to overpressure that can split, bulge, or burst the column, just as reported.
4. The aggravating factor: the “Perfect Storm”
· Article: The “perfect storm” occurred to cause the catastrophic incident.
· Technical Analysis: This phrase is technically accurate. The perfect storm was configured with three elements:
· Pretreatment failure: Inoperable dehydration trains.
· Nature of the crude: Extra-heavy crude with a high tendency to emulsify.
· Process conditions: high temperature and pressure changes in the column.
Conclusion: Operational sabotage vs. Geopolitical sabotage
While investigations consider hypotheses of geopolitical sabotage, technical evidence points to “operational sabotage” or “systemic failure”:
· Poor maintenance of dehydration trains in the field.
· Lax quality control of crude entering a critical unit.
· Operation of a plant with inputs that do not meet basic safety specifications.
These factors created the conditions for the physical laws (the explosive vaporization of water) to act as the trigger for the catastrophe.
In summary, the characterization of the event at Petrocedeño aligns precisely with the phenomenon of “bumping.” The explosion and rupture of the column are not the result of a mysterious mechanism but the foreseeable and documented consequence of processing heavy crude with excess water, in a context of possible deterioration of the pretreatment infrastructure. The prompt actions of the operators, praised in the report, undoubtedly prevented a greater tragedy, containing an incident whose root cause was, with high probability, technical and operational.