The extent of the explosion was such that entire portions of the factory collapsed. (PTI photo)The explosion at the Sigachi Industries factory in Pashamylaram in Telangana’s Sangareddy district is an unusual case of overheating, say experts who looking into the causes of the blast that killed 36 workers.The company manufactures microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) from wood pulp. The product they manufacture is in powder form and is used in pharmaceutical capsules.“What could have happened is thermal decomposition of MCC in the spray dryer. That is, MCC powder would have decomposed because of overheating,” A V Ranganath, commissioner, Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Monitoring and Protection Agency (HYDRAA), told The Indian Express.In the dryer, the temperature should have been below 200 degrees Celsius but could have risen above 399 degrees Celsius, Ranganath said. “It is at 399 degrees Celsius that the powered MCC starts decomposing. We think the temperatures inside the dryer reached this level and went unnoticed,” he said.As earlier reported by The Indian Express, the temperatures could have been controlled had the interlocking system, which cuts off heat at a predetermined level or sets off an alarm, worked. “In this case, the rise in temperature, which reflects on a monitor in the factory, could have gone unnoticed or unchecked,” Ranganath said.This sort of overheating is a “rarest of rare case”, Ranganath said. “There is no history, so to speak, of such massive overheating to have happened elsewhere. This was an unfortunate incident,” he said.The extent of the explosion was such that entire portions of the factory collapsed. A case has been registered against the company management under sections of attempt to culpable homicide not amounting to murder, and voluntarily causing grievous hurt. The company has been functioning out of its facility in Pashamylaram for 35 years, the HYDRAA commissioner said.Story continues below this adAnother expert from the department of factories, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told The Indian Express, “The company did have a mechanism to cut off heat because the product would have been compromised had there been no such mechanism. The mechanism is not just for safety but for ensuring the quality of the product.”The number of casualties increased because workers from two shifts were present at the factory on that day, Rangnath said. There were workers from both the general shift and night shift at the factory when the explosion took place. “They were having a meeting when the explosion happened. This resulted in a higher number of casualties and injuries,” Ranganath said. No arrests have been made in the case so far.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:telangana