Export inherent safety NOT risk

The author presents a personal view that production of bulk chemicals and the attendant risks are being transferred from developed to developing nations. Some evidence is presented on the transfer of production. The transferred risk is increased because of the larger scale plants that are now built in locales that are less able to cope with the increased hazards. Bhopal was an example of an inherently unsafe plant, with major hazards that could have been avoided or drastically reduced by design. It behoves the industry to adopt the inherently safer philosophy and practice in the new plants that it builds, in order to minimise the opportunity for another accident like Bhopal and the threat to our industry that such an accident would pose.     

Implementing inherent safety throughout process lifecycle

Inherent safety should be implemented as early as possible in the design life cycle, since the changes in process design are easier and cheaper the earlier they are done. The problem is, how to evaluate process alternatives in the terms of inherent safety in the early design phases, when much of the information is missing. In this paper the process life cycle phases and the possibilities of implementing and evaluating inherent safety are discussed. The applicability and accuracy of an inherent safety index method is presented by a case study.     

本质安全的理念与实践

本质安全是一种现代安全理念,强调以生产工艺、机械设备、装置等的安全为操作者创造安全的生产作业条件.工程技术是实现本质安全的基本途径,这涉及本质安全设计、纵深防御、防护层、安全相关系统和机能安全等一系列安全技术理念和工程实践问题.除了生产企业之外,设计、建设单位人员负有重大的安全责任.     

Comparison of inherent safety indices in process concept evaluation

In conceptual design, process routes can be compared and ranked by using inherent safety indices. In this paper, some inherent safety index methods presented in literature are compared and their properties and limitations discussed. As a case study, an inherent safety evaluation of methyl methacrylate process routes is presented. Three index based inherent safety evaluation methods are compared with expert evaluations on methyl methacrylate process routes and their subprocesses. Also the index based inherent safety ranking of process routes is compared with an expert ranking.     

Approach enhancing inherent safety application in onshore LNG plant design

This study aims to provide the approach for inherent safety design of onshore LNG plants to be applied at the very early stages (concept definition phase) of the project development. Onshore LNG plant development project starts from the “Concept Definition” phase, where financial feasibility is estimated and major conditions, such as site location and plant foot print, are set.The inherent safety design basic criteria and design measures should be identified and selected when setting the basic conditions during the Concept Definition phase of the project development, such as the site location (relative location from populated areas), site condition (prevailing wind direction) and plant production capacity (number of process train, number of product tanks). The safety measures, which are usually not fully developed at the project early stages in the current design execution practices, are the emergency systems, which mitigate an accident escalation, the modularized plant and layout, and the tank selection.The inherent safety design measures discusses in this paper were identified based on the categories of plot plan, emergency system, and module plant application.The proposed approach will contribute to improve inherent safety design of onshore LNG plants and it will also yield schedule and cost benefits.     

Promoting safety by training supervisors and safety representatives for daily safety work

Safety at Finnish work places is mainly considered to be the task of a separate safety organization, e.g., a safety manager and safety delegates. However, it is the supervisor who is responsible for the daily safety in the departments. The Finnish paper industry has developed a supplementary system for the safety organization to carry out safety work in the factories. The monitoring and improving of the daily safety has been delegated to small groups in the production departments. These small groups consist of the supervisor and the safety representative (worker member) of the work area. Sometimes also a department manager or a member of the maintenance department may participate in the work group. A training program was designed to give basic knowledge and skills for the groups. The course has helped the participants to better outline their duties and activities within the safety field.     

Application of inherent safety principles to dust explosion prevention and mitigation

The aim of the current work is to explicitly link the inherent safety principles of minimization, substitution, moderation and simplification with strategies for dust explosion prevention and mitigation. A brief review of inherent safety and its basic principles is first given. This is followed by a discussion of various ways in which the dust explosion hazard can be minimized, substituted, moderated and simplified. Particular attention is paid to the relationship between each inherent safety principle and (i) various dust explosibility parameters, (ii) alternate methods of processing, (iii) selection of process equipment, and (iv) development and implementation of safe-work procedures. Original research results are presented, along with industrial case studies and previously published results that have been reinterpreted in terms of inherent safety and its basic principles. It is anticipated that this research will be of value to industry as a complement to the relatively well-established suite of engineered and procedural dust explosion risk reduction measures.     

基于本质安全的化学工艺风险评价方法研究

基于本质安全原理对化学工艺进行风险评价,以易燃性、易爆性、毒性、腐蚀性、反应热、化学活性、工艺温度、工艺压力和存储量9个指标,建立化学工艺的本质安全评价指标体系。采用基于遗传算法的Shepard插值算法对本质安全进行评价,以甲基丙烯酸甲酯的合成工艺路线为例进行分析,结果表明该方法适用于化学工艺本质安全评价,相对传统方法更加科学,能够有效对危险工艺进行选择,为政府监管部门和化工企业提供工艺选择决策技术。     

Combining product engineering and inherent safety to improve the powder impregnation process

The functionalization of nonwoven textiles can be realized by dry powder impregnation. In order to develop and improve this process, two complementary approaches have been combined: product engineering and inherent safety. It consists in integrating ab-initio consumers' requirements, production constraints as well as safety and environmental considerations. This case study is focused on the proposal, the characterization and the selection of powders mixtures of flame retardants and copolyesters, which will be used to create fire-proofed textiles. The influences of the chemical natures of the flame retardant (e.g. calcium carbonate, aluminium trihydroxide, ammonium polyphosphates), their respective concentrations, particle diameters and the addition of silica to flame retardant/polymer mixtures on their minimum ignition energy has been investigated. It has been determined that ammonium polyphosphates are far more efficient than other flame-retardants and that a minimum of 20%wt. concentration is needed to generate a powder mixture that will be almost insensitive to ignition by an electrostatic source. Modifying the particle size distribution and introducing glidants play also a significant role on flame retardant/polymer interactions, on powder dispersibility and has a strong impact on the minimum ignition energy. Finally, the formulations which have been selected fulfill the requirements for fire resistance, flowability, prevention of dust explosion; they are non-toxic, environmentally friendly and their cost is reduced.     

基于本质安全的微反应器中苯乙烯聚合的数值模拟

重大化工事故往往是由多米诺效应引发的一连串故障而导致的。为实现苯乙烯聚合反应的本质安全,采用本质安全设计原则,设计了T型微反应器以替换传统釜式反应器。先通过计算流体力学(CFD)方法建立了三维稳态模型,再通过UDF(User Defined Functions)添加组分输运方程源项和能量方程源项,对苯乙烯自由基聚合反应进行了数值模拟,研究在微尺度条件下,反应温度、混合反应管道长度及形状对反应结果的影响。结果表明:由于微反应器可提高传热传质效率,在一定范围内反应温度可以控制在3 K以内;反应管道由0.15 m增长至1.5 m后,转化率可提高2倍左右;0.15 m直管形状改进为螺旋状后,转化率可至少提升4%。     

基于本质安全目标的化工厂装置平面布局优化

提出了一套化工厂装置平面布局优化方法,以实现布局的本质安全化.简要阐述了本质安全的理念及其在布局设计中的应用,发现引导词限制影响具有较好的适用性.多米诺效应的存在影响布局的本质安全性,因此重点提出了用初始设备多米诺危险指数与目标设备多米诺危险指数来评估布局的本质安全性,指数考虑了初始设备发生不同事故时对不同目标设备的本质安全距离.对指标值较大的设备采取本质安全与被动安全并用的方法,以有效提高布局的本质安全性.实例分析表明,建立的化工厂装置平面布局优化指标体系具有适用性.     

I2SI: A comprehensive quantitative tool for inherent safety and cost evaluation

This paper presents details of an integrated inherent safety index (I2SI). The conceptual framework of this index was presented at the 37th Annual Loss Prevention Symposium of the AIChE (2003) and published in Process Safety Progress (volume 23(2), 136–148, 2004). In addition to the framework, the current paper discusses additional features of the index such as the cost model and system design model, which were not presented or discussed earlier. I2SI is called an integrated index because the procedure considers the life cycle of the process with economic evaluation and hazard potential identification for each option. I2SI is comprised of sub-indices which account for hazard potential, inherent safety potential, and add-on control requirements. In addition to evaluating these respective characteristics, there are also indices that measure the economic potential of the option. To demonstrate the applicability and efficacy of I2SI, an application of the index to three acrylic acid production options is also discussed in the paper.     

BP神经网络在航空机务人员本质安全程度评价中的应用

航空机务是飞机安全服役的重要保障,为提高航空机务系统的本质安全性,需要对航空机务人员的本质安全程度进行准确评价。在对本质安全人进行定义并明确航空机务人员本质安全程度评价项目后,构建了一种基于MATLAB的用于本质安全程度评价的BP神经网络模型。实例分析中,以某航空公司10位机务人员的专家打分数据作为样本输入,在对输入数据进行标准化处理,并明确期望输出后,通过编程计算,确定了网络隐含层神经元的最佳数目。采用优化结构进行仿真计算,结果表明BP网络的期望输出值和实际仿真输出值能较好吻合,证实了模型的可信性。基于BP网络的航空机务人员本质安全程度评价具有较好的适用性和可行性。     

Using process stream index (PSI) to assess inherent safety level during preliminary design stage

In the current practice, safety assessment is conducted once the process design has been completed. At this stage of design, the freedom to change the conceptual design is very limited and whatever strategies to be implemented will only control the hazard. This paper reports on the development of inherent safety index known as a process stream index (PSI) for inherent safety level assessment at preliminary design stage from the perspective of an explosion. The aim for PSI is to calculate, compare and prioritize the level of inherent safety of process streams during simulation work that influences the explosion. By prioritizing the streams based on the potential for the explosion, the design engineers can easily identify the critical streams to be considered for improvement in order to avoid or minimize explosion hazards. An enhancement technique to reflect the contribution of the individual components in the mixture is introduced, which provide significant contribution to the ranking of inherent safety level of process streams. The assessment of inherent safety level using PSI is demonstrated by case studies of HYSYS simulation for Acrylic Acid Plant and Natural Gas Liquid (NGL) plant.     

论本质安全与清洁生产和绿色化学的关系

分析了本质安全的内涵及本质安全与清洁生产和绿色化学之间的联系及区别.通过对清洁生产和本质安全的基本原则的分析,比较了本质安全与清洁生产的理论基础、设计方法、评价指标体系和实施技术步骤,提出了发展本质安全技术的若干建议.本文为本质安全理论的发展提供了理论基础.     

Promoting safety awareness in fishing communities through community arts: An action research project

Commercial fishing is a very dangerous industry. Traditionally safety education has focused on making individual fish harvesters aware of safety regulations and procedures. An alternative approach is to raise community awareness of safety issues and to consider both individual and collective strategies for improving safety in the industry. Such an approach would be based upon the local fishing communities’ cultural traditions. This paper presents details of the use of drama, music and associated arts-based activities designed to promote safety awareness in three fishing communities in Newfoundland. Local residents planned and performed all of the activities. Discussions were subsequently conducted with key community participants to clarify the process of implementing these projects. These participants were very enthusiastic about the projects and keen to develop other similar activities in their communities. It would seem that community arts is a very effective means of engaging communities in discussion about safety related issues.     

Simple graphical method for inherent occupational health assessment

The concept of inherently safer design was introduced to design a fundamentally safer process so that hazards can be avoided or minimized rather than controlled or managed. The ideology has later been extended to the environmental, but not health criteria due to its complicated underlying principles. Even though health risk methods are already established, majority are for existing plants assessment. Early consideration of health aspect starting from process design stage however, has received much less attention. This paper introduces a simple graphical method to evaluate the inherent occupational health hazards of chemical processes during the R&D stage. A survey was conducted to identify the important health parameters for the graphical method development, involving nine world inherent safety and health experts. Based on their input, process mode, material volatility, operating pressure and chemical health hazard (toxicity and adverse effect) are the significant factors affecting inherent health hazards of chemical processes. The choice of parameters was bounded by the information availability at this stage. The method was applied on six routes to methyl methacrylate and ten routes to acetic acid. The parameters were plotted for each subprocess of the alternative routes. The ‘healthiest’ route was selected based on thorough hazards assessment across all the subprocesses. The first case study reveals the tertiary butyl alcohol as the ‘healthiest’ one as it poses relatively lower, or at least comparable hazards to the other routes due to exposure and health impacts. Meanwhile the acetic acid case study indicates ethanol oxide and ethyl oxide based routes as the inherently healthier as they operate at lower operating pressure besides posing comparable hazards level for the other three parameters, compared to the other routes. The case studies show that the inherent occupational health of a chemical process can already be evaluated easily in the R&D stage with the simple graphical method proposed.     

设计初期化工过程本质安全化设计策略

该文提出了一种在设计初期进行化工过程本质安全化设计的策略。首先进行危险物质与危险能量两类共计11种危险类型的危险辨识。针对辨识出的危险类型,通过与相应的临界条件比较进行快速的危险评价,对于不可接受的危险必须采取本质安全化措施,可接受的危险可有选择性地进行本质安全化设计。在设计初期可以使用的本质安全化原则主要是消除、最小化、替代和缓和,针对11种危险类型可以应用不同的本质安全化设计模型,以使实际进行本质安全化设计时更加简单与快捷。该文把提出的本质安全化设计策略应用到一个甲苯硝化制硝基甲苯的工艺,形成了多种本质安全化措施,可以用来在设计初期消除或减少危险。     

安全教育与安全文化的探讨

一个企业要想获得良好的经济效益,安全生产是重要保障,而安全教育是安全生产不可缺少的组成部分.所以一个成熟、高明的企业管理者应该将安全教育摆在一个相当高的位置,因为安全出效益,安全本身就是一种效益.     

强化安全管理实现安全生产长效机制

1概况 唐山钢铁集团有限责任公司是一个铁钢双700万吨的特大型钢铁联合企业,拥有矿山、焦化、冶炼、轧钢、机制、建筑安装、设计研究等生产和辅助单位30个.生产板、管、带、棒、线等各种规格的钢材品种.现有职工5万余人,人员分布广泛,不安全因素增多.安全与生产矛盾日益突出,唐钢近年来不断推行安全目标管理、职业健康安全认证等现代化管理方法,使各类事故率有所下降.