Thermal hazard assessment for synthesis of 3-methylpyridine-N-oxide

The exothermic oxidation of 3-methylpyridine with hydrogen peroxide was analyzed by Reaction Calorimeter (RC1e) in semi-batch operation. Heat releasing rate and heat conversion were studied at different operating conditions, such as reaction temperature, feeding rate, the amount of catalyst and so on. The thermal hazard assessment of the oxidation was derived from the calorimetric data, such as adiabatic temperature rise (ΔT_ad) and the maximum temperature of synthesis reaction (MTSR) in out of control conditions. Along with thermal decomposition of the product, the possibility of secondary decomposition under runaway conditions was analyzed by time to maximum rate (TMR_ad). Also, risk matrix was used to assess the risk of the reaction. Results indicated that with the increase of the reaction temperature, the reaction heat release rate increased, while reaction time and exotherm decreased. With the increase of feeding time, heat releasing rate decreased, but reaction time and exotherm increased. With the amount of the catalyst increased, heat releasing rate increased, reaction time decreased and exothermic heat increased. The risk matrix showed that when the reaction temperature was 70 °C, feeding time was 1 h, and the amount of catalyst was 10 g and 15 g, respectively, the reaction risk was high and must be reduced.     

Insights into process safety incidents from an analysis of CSB investigations

Many incidents have helped to define and develop process safety. Each has provided valuable learning opportunities. However, it is even more important to identify insights that can be obtained from an analysis of a large set of incidents that represents those that typically occur. This larger picture illuminates trends and commonalities and provides learning opportunities that are even more important than the causes of any one individual incident.The Chemical Safety Board has published the results of over 60 investigations of process safety incidents. These data have been analyzed to identify commonalities and trends so that measures to help protect against future incidents can be developed. Recommendations are made to address key issues identified.     

Improved management practice and process hazard analysis techniques for minimizing likelihood of process safety incidents in Taiwan

In Taiwan, process safety accidents often occur despite the prior implementation of process hazard analysis (PHA). One of the main reasons for this is the poor quality of the PHA process; with the main hazards not being properly identified, or properly controlled. Accordingly, based on the findings of 86 process safety management (PSM) audits, dozens of post-accident site resumption review meetings, and hundreds of PSM review sessions, this study examines the main deficiencies of management practice and PHA implementation in Taiwan, and presents several recommendations for improved PHA assessment techniques and procedures. The study additionally examines the feasibility for using PSM-related information, such as process safety information and process incident information, as a tool for further enhancing the PHA quality. Overall, the study suggests that, in addition to following the basic rules of PHA and requirements of OSHA (1992),management in Taiwan should also provide training in the enhanced assessment techniques proposed herein and take active steps to incorporate PSM information into the PHA framework in order to improve the general quality of PHA and reduce the likelihood of process safety accidents accordingly.     

The importance of (process safety) leadership

It is indeed an honour to be invited to contribute the inaugural Trevor Kletz & Sam Mannan Guest Perspective on Process Safety. Unfortunately I did not ever meet Trevor, though I worked at a plant he was a design consultant on, but I worked with Sam for several years, together focused on how we could improve process safety outcomes.For this paper I want to write about a key area in process safety that I believe underpins everything we do. If we get it really wrong, we can't come back from the brink. If we get it a little wrong, we can usually recover, with a lot of work and effort. If we get it right, things just work. So, what am I talking about, is it design, maintenance, operations? No, I am talking about leadership. This underpins everything else we do in process safety yet is an oft neglected aspect. I think this is a fitting start to this series, because both Trevor and Sam believed in effective communication, which is a key element of leadership. I hope it will set the scene for future articles to incorporate aspects of leadership when others will delve into more detailed topics.     

石油石化重大工艺安全事故应急机制浅析

石油石化生产关键工艺设备或流程蕴藏的风险能量巨大,一旦发生事故,后果往往极其严重。分析了石油石化重大工艺安全事故专业性强、事故规模大、易形成连锁反应和诱发环境污染事件等3个典型特征。通过事故应急经验分析,研究提出了石油石化重大工艺安全事故应急工作需要遵循的风险辨识充分到位、专业应急保障有力、应急资源保障充足、企地联动迅速高效、社会舆论引导得力等5方面的重点应急策略。设计了工艺安全事故风险辨识与评估、专业应急队伍建设与能力提升、应急资源联合储备、区域应急联动和公共危机公关等5项石油石化企业重大工艺安全事故应急重点工作机制内容和建设要点。石油石化企业需要不断建立和完善5项应急工作机制,才能为重大工艺安全事故应急工作提供可靠保障。     

基于安全信息的安全执行及其失效机制研究

为了提高系统安全执行的有效性,改善系统的安全状况,开展基于安全信息的安全执行及其失效机制研究.首先,对安全执行的基础问题进行研究,包括其定义及一般过程;其次,从安全信息出发,结合解决问题的一般路径,对安全执行机制进行研究;最后,在上述分析的基础上,研究安全执行失效机制,并构建模型,明确安全执行过程中的重要节点.研究结果...     

A comparative analysis of process safety management (PSM) systems in the process industry

The root cause of most accidents in the process industry has been attributed to process safety issues ranging from poor safety culture, lack of communication, asset integrity issues, lack of management leadership and human factors. These accidents could have been prevented with adequate implementation of a robust process safety management (PSM) system. Therefore, the aim of this research is to develop a comparative framework which could aid in selecting an appropriate and suitable PSM system for specific industry sectors within the process industry. A total of 21 PSM systems are selected for this study and their theoretical frameworks, industry of application and deficiencies are explored. Next, a comparative framework is developed using eleven key factors that are applicable to the process industry such as framework and room for continuous improvement, design specification, industry adaptability and applicability, human factors, scope of application, usability in complex systems, safety culture, primary or secondary mode of application, regulatory enforcement, competency level, as well as inductive or deductive approach. After conducting the comparative analysis using these factors, the Integrated Process Safety Management System (IPSMS) model seems to be the most robust PSM system as it addressed almost every key area regarding process safety. However, inferences drawn from study findings suggest that there is still no one-size-fits-all PSM system for all sectors of the process industry.     

Ranking of process safety cultures for risk-based inspections using indicative safety culture assessments

Although major hazard industries have no legal obligations to demonstrate a good safety culture, it is an increasingly important factor for risk-based inspections. This paper describes the development and evaluation of a relatively simple method for external indicative assessment of the process safety culture in major hazard industries. As a first step, a tool was developed. Second, the tool was successfully tested in a workshop with major hazard inspectors. After this ‘proof of concept’ and a few adaptations to improve the tool, quantitative evaluation and validation were carried out with a representative sample of major hazard inspectors in the Netherlands. In this stage, the tool comprised 30 questions, of which 19 sufficiently frequent valid responses were given for the validity test. The evaluations demonstrate that without specific preparations, inspection teams can use the tool to discriminate between plants with poor or good safety cultures. That is sufficient for ranking as additional input for risk-based inspection strategies. The resulting indicative ‘scores’ for safety culture correlate meaningfully with the quality of process safety management systems and the number of (legal) non-compliances, which were identified by the inspection team at the same occasion. The use of the tool can be further improved by training inspectors, making minor adaptations of the inspection process, and broadening the scope of a few questions. It is expected that external assessments of safety culture will become increasingly important not only for inspectorates, but also for a range of other external stakeholders.     

Integration of process safety engineering and fire protection engineering for better safety performance

Since the inception of the process industries, there have been a great number of process incidents causing significant loss of life and property damage. Even the establishment and implementation of a series of rigorous regulations has not prevented the occurrence of process incidents. In order to protect people, property and the environment a more robust safety program is needed and the safety performance of process industries must continue to improve. In this work, the common ground and the unique characteristics of process safety engineering (PSE) and fire protection engineering (FPE) is reviewed to demonstrate the potential benefits of unifying the two fields or improving the coordination between them to create a more robust safety program, thereby enhancing the safety performance of process industries. Recommendations are made to facilitate and encourage continued discussion and efforts toward the integration of process safety engineering and fire protection engineering.     

模糊层次综合评价法在企业安全评价中的应用

影响企业安全状况的因素很多，相互之间具有不确定性和模糊性。通过运用模糊层次尊合评价法并结合层次分析法确定各指标的权重分配，对企业安全状况进行评价，经过专家咨询，将各因素层次化，最终得出模糊评价结果。最后通过实例应用验证了采用此方法的可行性。     

Evaluation of process safety indicators collected in conformance with ANSI/API Recommended Practice 754

At the request of the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB), we examined some of the possible uses of the process safety event metrics proposed by the American Petroleum Institute and published as ANSI/API Recommended Practice 754. We examined many sources to try to estimate what the likely number of Tier 1 and Tier 2 process safety events would be at refineries. Then we calculated the statistical power that would be available to compare rates, both over time and across facilities and firms. As Tier 1 and Tier 2 are defined, it appears that the event frequencies estimated for U.S. refineries (i.e., 0.12 per 100 employees for Tier 1 and 0.26 for Tier 2) would make it unlikely that even two-fold differences in the rates would be statistically significant, except at large refineries with several thousand workers.     

安全观的塑造机理及其方法研究

为引导人形成正确的安全认知和思维模式、输出安全行为,降低事故发生的概率,首先用文献综述法,在对现有的几种有代表性的安全观定义进行总结的基础上,基于安全科学理论高度提出了安全观的新定义,并进一步论述安全观的属性特征、构成要素、层次结构、功能作用等本质内容。然后从自塑造和他塑造两方面构建安全观的塑造模型,并提炼出安全观塑造的8种常见方法及其“三步走”塑造思路。结果表明,安全观具有丰富的本质内容,并指导和决定安全行为输出,能为安全观塑造措施的提出提供参考,以培养、完善、改造人的安全观。     

安全仪式感生成机制及作用机理研究

为明晰安全仪式感生成机制及其对企业安全管理促进作用机理,基于仪式与仪式感,阐述安全仪式与安全仪式感定义及“安全”核心内涵,厘清安全仪式、安全仪式感与安全管理关系,探讨安全仪式感产生的3个基本条件和4个时期,剖析安全仪式感的5个功能,并构建安全仪式感在安全管理中的功能作用模型。研究结果表明：安全仪式感能正向引导员工安全行为,可提升企业安全管理水平。     

Process safety data management program based on HAZOP analysis and its application to an ethylene oxide/ethylene glycol plant

HAZOP analysis is a process hazard analysis method that has been widely applied both within and outside the chemical processing industries. This paper presents a design method for a process safety data management program for petrochemical plants based on HAZOP analysis and demonstrates the steps of application involved in building a process safety data management system for an ethylene oxide/ethylene glycol production plant. Firstly, the production data files and relevant documents of the plants should be classified and stored in the program database as reference documents and treatment schemes for coping with abnormal situations should be collected and summarized as guidance documents. Secondly, the HAZOP analysis method is employed to identify all the dangerous deviations possibly existing in the production process of the ethylene oxide/ethylene glycol plant. Then, the relationships among the deviations, the reference documents and the guidance documents should be considered and evaluated. Finally, each dangerous deviation will be given a corresponding reference document and guidance document. The reference documents and guidance documents stored in the expert system can be utilized to help operators solve the corresponding technical problems and cope with abnormal situations. The process safety data management program will contribute to the identification, analysis and resolution of operation problems. When an abnormal situation occurs, according to the deviations exhibited in the system, the necessary reference documents and guidance documents will be quickly consulted by the operators, and an appropriate decision will be made to address the abnormal situation. Therefore, by using the process safety data management program, plant security and human safety in the petrochemical industries will be improved.     

三标度模糊层次分析法在桥梁安全评估中的应用

为了客观、系统地评估桥梁安全状况,提出三标度层次分析法与模糊综合评判的集成评估方法。首先,运用层次分析法分析影响桥梁安全状况的评估指标,进而建立桥梁安全评估的目标层、准则层、指标层,并形成桥梁安全评估指标体系。采用三标度层次分析法计算评估指标权重。其次,通过模糊综合评判模型,对桥梁安全评估体系进行分层次模糊综合评估。结合模糊加权平均算子和模糊综合评判最大隶属度原则,确定桥梁安全状况分值,参照评语集得出桥梁安全等级。最后,将该集成评估方法应用到江坡头大桥工程实例中,评估结果与现行规范一致,体现了该方法的可行性与实用性。     

公路建设项目安全生产预警机制研究

近年来我国公路建设项目安全生产形势严峻,公路工程施工安全事故时有发生。公路建设项目安全生产预警机制的建立可以有效地预防事故的发生。确定了公路建设项目安全生产能力不足、公路建设项目安全生产能力减弱、存在公路建设项目安全生产重大缺陷和存在公路建设项目安全生产重复性缺陷等4种需要监测、预报的警情。结合公路建设项目安全生产评价,对公路建设项目安全生产预警机制的组织机构、运转模式、工作流程等方面进行了研究。     

Applications of thermal hazard analyses on process safety assessments

In 2011, a large petrochemical complex in Taiwan incurred several fire and explosion accidents, which had considerable negative impact for the industry on both environmental and safety issues. Reactive substances are widely used in many chemical industrial fields as an initiator, hardeners, or cross-linking agents of radical polymerization process with unsaturated monomer. However, the unpredictable factors during the process having risk to runaway reaction, thermal explosion, fire, and exposure to harmful toxic chemicals release due to the huge heat and gas products by thermal decomposition could not be removed from the process. This study used differential technology of thermal analysis to characterize the inherent hazard behaviors of azo compounds and organic peroxides in the process, to seek the elimination of the source of the harmful effects and achieve the best process safety practices with zero disaster and sound business continuity plan.     

Methods and models in process safety and risk management: Past,present and future

The paper reviews past progress in the development of methods and models for process safety and risk management and highlights the present research trends; also it outlines the opinions of the authors regarding the future research direction in the field. Based on the open literature published in the leading journals in the field of safety, risk and reliability, the review covers the evolution of the methods and models developed for process safety and risk management. The methods and models are categorized as qualitative, semi-quantitative, quantitative and hybrid. The progress in the last few decades is discussed in the context of the past. Developments in the current decade formulate the basis of the present trends; future directions for research in these fields are also outlined. The aim of the article is to provide a historical development in this field with respect to the driving forces behind the development. It is expected that it will help researchers and industrial practitioners to gain a better understanding of the existing concepts. At the same time the aim is to provide direction to bridge the existing gaps through research and developments.     

论危险化学品安全生产长效机制构建

在分析我国危险化学品从业单位现状的基础上,剖析了危险化学品安全生产存在的主要问题,阐述了构建危险化学品安全生产长效机制的思路和对策措施,并提出以危险化学品重大危险源安全监管为重点,着力建立完善法规标准体系,推进化工产业规划园区化,严格安全准入条件,提升化工工艺装备本质化,促进企业安全生产标准化,推动安全监管执法规范化,提高安全监管效率与效果,进而构建危险化学品安全生产长效机制,实现危险化学品安全生产状况明显好转。这对进一步提高我国危险化学品安全生产水平具有一定的借鉴和指导意义。     

Offshore safety case approach and formal safety assessment of ships

PROBLEM: Tragic marine and offshore accidents have caused serious consequences including loss of lives, loss of property, and damage of the environment. METHOD: A proactive, risk-based "goal setting" regime is introduced to the marine and offshore industries to increase the level of safety. DISCUSSION: To maximize marine and offshore safety, risks need to be modeled and safety-based decisions need to be made in a logical and confident way. Risk modeling and decision-making tools need to be developed and applied in a practical environment. SUMMARY: This paper describes both the offshore safety case approach and formal safety assessment of ships in detail with particular reference to the design aspects. The current practices and the latest development in safety assessment in both the marine and offshore industries are described. The relationship between the offshore safety case approach and formal ship safety assessment is described and discussed. Three examples are used to demonstrate both the offshore safety case approach and formal ship safety assessment. The study of risk criteria in marine and offshore safety assessment is carried out. The recommendations on further work required are given. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: This paper gives safety engineers in the marine and offshore industries an overview of the offshore safety case approach and formal ship safety assessment. The significance of moving toward a risk-based "goal setting" regime is given.