Process design optimization and risk analysis

Hazard identification and risk assessment are key aspects in process plant design. They are often applied in the final stages of the process at whatever the cost, unless financial constraints are imposed. However, a much better solution would be to introduce risk analysis earlier by including it in earlier stages of the design process, such as when the cost of a plant and the cost of any accidents that may occur are estimated. In this paper, an optimization methodology is proposed, in which both cost and risk (with a deterministic approach) are taken into account, to improve on the current situation. If a decision variable is chosen, an objective function will be established that makes it possible to analyze variations in overall costs, including the cost of the investment and the cost of accidents. This leads to an optimum situation in which costs are kept to a minimum. Of course, this optimization is subject to constraints, the greatest of which is the fact that risk must not exceed tolerated threshold levels. The procedure is explained and two examples, one involving a toxic release and the other a BLEVE/fireball, are used to illustrate it.     

采用遗传算法优化气体探测器布局策略研究

石油石化装置具有结构复杂且危险性高的特点,所加工物料多为易燃易爆有毒物质,且工艺单元之间集成度高,一旦发生泄漏若无法及时探测到则易形成气液积聚和火灾爆炸后果强化,装置拥塞度高使人员逃生困难。火气系统FGS作为安全关键系统,其中的气体探测网络如何快速可靠的实现对气体泄漏事件的探测显得尤为重要。已知探测时间,通过引入遗传算法利用其全局搜索的特点克服传统分支定界法的缺点,实现立体空间不同高度下设置探测网络达到场景全覆盖和缩短探测时间,同时求出探测时间附近的多组最优解,为探测器放置提供多种布置方案。通过与传统等间距探测器布置方案比较,从多种布置方案中选择更符合实际的最佳方案。通过海上浮式生产储油船的生产夹板气体探测案例,验证了所提方法的有效性。     

A new multiple-risk map approach to solve process plant layout considering safety and economic aspects

Mathematical models used to optimize the process plant layout (PPL) with risk reduction have four primary objectives, which are related to the minimization of land, pumping (pipe system), protection system devices, and risk costs. Moreover, these models are of two types: continuous plane models (CPM) and grid-based models (GBM); however, the nonconvexity of the CPM models makes difficult to achieve the global optimum, because it is formulated as Mixed-Integer Nonlinear Programming (MINLP). Thus, the risk map approach has been implemented with the grid-based models to solve problems of process plant layout focused on finding the best possible solution. However, these risk map formulations present important limitations, mainly related with the use of protection devices and the occupied area. Therefore, a new GBM-MILP formulation is proposed to optimize the selection of protection devices and minimize the occupied area. The risk is reduced through the investment on safety devices instead of considering the increase of separation distances. The proposed model was used to solve the layout problem of an ethylene oxide process, and the results was compared with a process layout reported in the literature. The results show that the model can provide the best possible solution; however, the time spent in the calculation is considerably greater than that reported for continuous plane models. Finally, the model can be used by decision-makers to evaluate different layout options for several explosion scenarios, during the early stages of the plant design.     

Bi-directional connectivity diagram for accident propagation analysis considering the interactions between multiple-process units

An incident may propagate to an accident with different severity dependent on its propagation scenarios. Since the accident propagation is a two-way process, the current research is focusing on the one-way analysis. This paper aims to analyze the combined effect of multi-units sources and their interactions during the accident propagation. The bi-directional connectivity diagram (BDCD) is applied to visualize the interactions between multiple process units as hazardous sources. The deployed safety barriers interrupt the connection between the hazardous sources and thus minimize the influence of one BDCD node on another. Through which, the accident propagation is reduced. The proposed method can be suitable to the general accidents, and it is applied to a case study of the LNG terminal station to assess the potential consequences of explosion caused by the leakage, in which the cost of the safety barrier is also considered. The BDCD approach is found more effective than traditional single-hazardous source methods for analyzing the accident propagation of multi-units sources in the chemical plant and achieving intrinsic safety.     

Optimization of facility location and reallocation in an industrial plant through a multi-annual framework accounting for economic and safety issues

The industrial layout traditionally has been addressed accounting for the facilities distribution and installation since the first day of operation of the plant; this is, without considering future expansions that involve additional facilities in the future operation years. This way, this paper proposes a mathematical programming formulation for the optimal facility sitting and reallocation in an industry accounting for future expansions and involving simultaneously economic and safety objectives. The proposed formulation is based on a multi-annual framework and this corresponds to a multi-objective mixed integer linear programming problem. The proposed optimization approach was applied to a case study for the facility sitting (office buildings and control rooms) in an ethylene oxide plant. The economic objective function involves the minimization of the total annual cost accounting for the value of the money through the time and the safety objective function involves the minimization for the accumulated risk over the operation time. Results show the applicability of the proposed approach.     

时变条件下公路危险品罐车运输路线选择

为合理选择公路运输危险品路线,保障运输安全,将用于求解静态路径规划问题的Diikstra标号法进行推广和改进,提出指标累积值标号法,运用该方法并依据危险品罐车运输事故统计数据,建立了时变条件下以路段泄漏事故率、路侧人口密度及路段运输费用为指标的危险品罐车公路运输路线选择模型.并给出待选路线对比原则.实例应用表明,该模型充分考虑了事故概率、事故后果及运输成本3大危险品运输路线选择影响因素,使用方便且受主观因素影响小,具有较好的实用性.     

An approach for risk reduction (methodology) based on optimizing the facility layout and siting in toxic gas release scenarios

In this work, a new approach to optimize facility layout for toxic release is presented. By integrating a risk analysis in the optimization formulation, we propose a safer assignment for facility layout and siting. Accompanying with the economical concepts used in a plant layout, the new model considers the cost of willing to avoid a fatality, i.e. the potential injury cost due to accidents associated with toxic release near residential areas. The proposed formulation incorporates a real meteorological data to calculate the injury risk through the probit model and Monte Carlo simulation using dense gas dispersion modeling (DEGADIS). The overall problem was initially modeled as a disjunctive program where the coordinates of each facility and cost-related variables are the main unknowns. Then, the convex hull approach was used to reformulate the problem as a Mixed Integer Non-Linear Program (MINLP) that identifies potential layouts by minimizing overall costs. This approach gives the coordinates of each facility, and estimates for the total length of pipes, the land area, and the selection of safety devices. Finally, the 3D-computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was used to compare between the initial layout and the final layout. Moreover, analyses of separation distances fr2om hazard facilities and hindrance effects will be discussed based on the approach used in this work.     

Safety investment optimization in process industry: A risk-based approach

Process plant safety is a critical indicator of organizational performance. Adequate investment into safety practices to avoid future accident cost is therefore a beneficial strategy. The current approach to such investments in the process industry is driven largely by simple risk-based heuristics, insurance market premiums, organizational culture and management judgment. There is, however, an absence of an overarching methodology to assist such an effort. Therefore, there is a need for developing a robust decision-making framework for enabling systematic and optimal allocation of financial resources across all significant risk elements within a process plant.The present work proposes a safety investment optimization (SIO) framework for a typical process plant. Such an optimization approach targets maximal reduction of risk values across all potential hazards within the constraint of a given safety investment budget at the incipient stage of establishing a plant such that it saves future cost to company by reducing the risk from accidents. At the same time the framework takes into account the need to comply with the regulatory requirements imposed by the government. Additionally, access to insurance market as a strategy to transfer risk is also integrated. Finally, the residual risks are managed through investments in selective safeguards while ensuring that the benefits over-weigh the cost of such an exercise. For illustrating the application of the framework, a representative process plant with a select number of risk scenarios is chosen and all steps suggested by the framework are demonstrated quantitatively. It is anticipated that the proposed SIO framework will help optimal resource allocation for managing the risks implicit in a typical process plant.     

A procedure for annually estimating wage losses due to accidents in the U.S.

The demand for accident cost information has increased in recent times as safety professionals seek to compare accident costs with other societal problems. Addressing one component of accident costs, this study proposes a procedure for estimating the cost of lost wages due to accidents with separate estimates generated for motor vehicle, work, home, and public accidents, as well as the overall total. Estimates were developed from data that can be updated annually so that cost estimates can be kept current. Deaths, permanent disabilities, and temporary disabilities of workers were included as part of the framework. In addition, the value of homemaker services lost due to accidents was estimated. The procedure utilized the ‘human capital’ approach, whereby the discounted present value of lost future earnings is taken as the appropriate measure of the productivity loss to society due to accidents. Other cost estimating approaches were discussed. Using this procedure, it was estimated that accidental injuries resulted in $31.1 billion in wage losses in 1985, about 1.6% of all wages and salaries paid in that year.     

Major accident management in the process industry: An expert tool called CESMA for intelligent allocation of prevention investments

A tool (called CESMA) was developed to carry out cost–benefit analyses and cost-effectiveness analyses of prevention investments for avoiding major accidents. A wide variety of parameters necessary to calculate both the costs of the considered preventive measures and the benefits related with the avoidance of accidents were identified in the research. The benefits are determined by estimating the difference in (hypothetical) major accident costs without and with the implementation of a preventive measure. As many relevant costs and benefits as possible were included into the tool, based on literature and expert opinion, in order to be able to deliver an all-embracing cost–benefit analysis and cost-effectiveness analysis to assist in the investment decision process. Because major accidents are related to extremely low frequencies, the tool takes the uncertainty of the unwanted occurrence of a major accident into account through the usage of a so-called ‘disproportion factor’. Compared with existing software, the CESMA tool is innovative by striving for an as-accurate-as-possible picture of costs and benefits of major accident prevention, and taking the uncertainties accompanying disastrous events into consideration. Furthermore, an illustrative example of CESMA is presented in the paper.     

Inherent risk assessment—A new concept to evaluate risk in preliminary design stage

Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA) has been a very popular and useful methodology which is widely accepted by the industry over the past few decades. QRA is typically carried out at a stage where complete plant has been designed and sited. At that time, the opportunity to include inherent safety design features is limited and may incur higher cost. This paper proposes a new concept to evaluate risk inherent to a process owing to the chemical it uses and the process conditions. The risk assessment tool is integrated with process design simulator (HYSYS) to provide necessary process data as early as the initial design stages, where modifications based on inherent safety principles can still be incorporated to enhance the process safety of the plant. The risk assessment tool consists of two components which calculate the probability and the consequences relating to possible risk due to major accidents. A case study on the potential explosion due to the release of flammable material demonstrates that the tool is capable to identify potential high risk of process streams. Further improvement of the process design is possible by applying inherent safety principles to make the process under consideration inherently safer. Since this tool is fully integrated with HYSYS, re-evaluation of the inherent risk takes very little time and effort. The new tool addresses the lack of systematic methodology and technology, which is one of the barriers to designing inherently safer plants.     

环己烷泄漏事故模拟与风险控制措施研究

环己烷具有闪点低、爆炸极限宽等特点,一旦发生泄漏,着火爆炸的危险性随时存在。利用计算流体动力学模拟的方法对工程项目中环己烷的泄漏事故进行模拟及风险分析,建立环己酮生产装置的全尺寸三维模型并进行仿真计算,模拟了不同泄漏场景所形成的环己烷可燃气体云团瞬态发展过程及影响范围,并对建构筑物的布局对可燃气体云团的扩散行为的影响进行研究。研究结果表明,通过优化建构筑物布局,可有效降低该装置环己烷的燃爆风险,为企业相关装置的总图布置及环己烷泄漏的安全监控和应急响应提供有价值的参考数据。     

Study of chemical supply system of high-tech process using inherently safer design strategies in Taiwan

The photoelectric, semiconductor and other high-tech industries are Taiwan's most important economic activities. High-tech plant incidents are caused by hazardous energy, even when that energy is confined to the inside of the process machine. During daily maintenance procedures, overhauling or troubleshooting, engineers entering the interior of the machines are in direct contact with the source of the energy or hazardous substances, which can cause serious injury. The best method for preventing such incidents is to use inherently safer design strategies (ISDs); this approach can fully eliminate the dangers from the sources of hazardous energy at a facility.This study first conducts a lithography process hazard analysis and compiles a statistical analysis of the causes of the fires and losses at high-tech plants in Taiwan since 1996, the aim being to establish the necessary improvement measures by using the Fire Dynamics Simulation (FDS) to solve relevant problems. The researchers also investigate the lithography process machine in order to explore carriage improvement measures, and analyse the fires' causes and reactive materials hazardous properties, from 1996 to 2012. The effective improvement measures are established based on the accident statistics. The study site is a 300 mm wafer fabrication plant located in Hsinchu Science Park, Taiwan.After the completion of the annual maintenance jobs improvement from September 2011 to December 2012, the number of lithography process accidents was reduced from 6 to 1. The accident rate was significantly reduced and there were no staff time losses for a continuous 6882 h. It is confirmed that the plant safety level has been effectively enhanced. The researchers offer safety design recommendations regarding transport process appliances, chemical storage tanks, fume cupboard devices, chemical rooms, pumping equipment, transportation pipelines, valve manual box (VMB) process machines and liquid waste discharge lines. These recommendations can be applied in these industries to enhance the safety level of high-tech plants, facilities or process systems.     

毒气泄漏场景下基于蒙特卡罗的工厂布局研究

由于在工业生产中使用危险化学品会引起各种工业事故的发生,为了减小事故风险,降低由此产生的经济损失,必须将安全问题考虑在内,对工厂进行合理布局。采用蒙特卡罗模拟技术,研究某生产设施发生有毒气体泄漏的场景下,气象条件的不确定性对工厂布局的影响。以风向、风速及大气稳定性作为随机变量,通过扩散模型、概率函数和蒙特卡罗模拟得到中毒死亡概率。将上述随机方法应用在天津某个处于规划布局阶段的工厂内,以氨气泄漏为例,根据该地区常年风向分布及所得风险等值线图对工厂设施布局提出建议。案例分析表明:该工厂需要进行重新布局,应将受体设施布置在风险较小、风频较小的方位上;同时该随机方法能够为工厂布局提供决策支持。     

石化装置长周期安全运行风险分析和对策

随着国际竞争的激烈,石化生产装置的长周期运行成为我国石化企业的降本增效的主要手段。如何保证本质安全成为长周期运行的难题。本文以延迟焦化装置为例,主要从工艺原理、工艺原则流程和物料性质等方面进行了系统的风险分析,对设备利用英国TISCHUK公司的T-OCA软件进行RBI(Risk-based Inspection,即RBI)评估,确定了装置长周期运行存在的薄弱环节,并提出了控制措施。实践证明,该套方法对我国石化生产装置的长周期安全运行提供了科学的技术支持。     

Evaluation of risk and cost using an age-dependent unavailability modelling of test and maintenance for standby components

The improvement of safety in the process industries is related to assessment and reduction of risk in a cost-effective manner. This paper addresses the trade-off between risk and cost related to standby safety systems. An age-dependent unavailability model that integrates the effects of the test and maintenance (T&M) activities as well as component ageing is developed and represents the basis for calculating risk. The repair “same-as-new” process is considered regarding the T&M activities. Costs are expressed as a function of the selected risk measure. The time-averaged function of the selected risk measure is obtained from probabilistic safety assessment, i.e. the fault tree analysis. This function is further extended with inclusion of additional parameters related to T&M activities as well as ageing parameters related to component ageing. In that sense, a new model of system unavailability, incorporating component ageing and T&M costs, is presented. The testing strategy is also addressed. Sequential and staggered testings are compared. The developed approach is applied on a standard safety system in nuclear power plant although the method is applicable to standby safety systems that are tested and maintained in other industries as well. The results show that the risk-informed surveillance requirements differ from existing ones in technical specifications, which are deterministically based. Moreover, the presented approach achieves a significant reduction in system unavailability over a relatively small increase of total T&M costs.     

A process mapping model for calculating indirect costs of workplace accidents

This article follows an earlier one in which four criteria and four bases for the development of an indirect-cost calculation model adapted to the accuracy requirements and time constraints of workplace decision-makers were established. A two-level model for calculating indirect costs using process mapping of the organizational response to a workplace accident is presented. The model is based on data collected in interviews with those employees in charge of occupational health and safety in 10 companies of various sizes in different industry sectors. This model is the first to use process mapping to establish the indirect costs of workplace accidents. The approach allows easy identification of the duration and frequency of actions taken by stakeholders when a workplace accident occurs, facilitates the collection of the information needed to calculate indirect costs and yields a usable, precise result. A simple graphic representation of an organization's accident processes helps the user understand each accident's cost components, allowing the identification and reduction of inefficiencies in the overall process. Impact on Industry: By facilitating data collection and shortening the time needed to assess indirect costs of workplace accidents, this indirect cost calculation tool is better suited for workplace use than those currently available.     

道化学指数评价法在淮化集团某合成氨厂的应用

化工企业由于工艺装置复杂、产品危险性高等特点极易发生事故,极小的安全隐患往往导致重大事故给企业甚至国家带来严重损失。为探求潜在事故的危险性和总损失,在对淮化集团的合成氨厂生产工序流程分析基础上划分三个评价单元,应用美国道化学公司火灾爆炸指数评价法对此三个评价单元分别进行评价并量化可能造成的损失。评价结果显示各评价子单元的危险等级分别为非常大、很大和最轻,采取安全补偿措施后危险等级降为较轻、较轻和最轻,说明采取措施后若发生事故损失将会减少,通过对比补偿前后的财产损失可以说明这一结论。从另一角度来看,表明合成氨厂有较大的安全隐患需有关管理者采取措施以保障安全生产。采用的道化学指数法比较准确地反映出了被评价单位的实际情况,为化工企业的安全生产、安全管理提供了一定参考。     

工艺过程危险有害因素辨识的研究

鉴于化工企业工艺过程的特殊性,笔者建议其危险、有害因素的辨识可以在直观经验分析法和系统安全分析法的基础上,结合危险和可操作性研究(HAZOP)的思想来进行辨识。笔者尝试性地给出了相关术语的说明、介绍辨识方法和操作程序,并分别从生产过程(包括化学反应、化工操作单元和物料输送)和工艺设备、装置角度,对其中的所包含的具体内容进行剖析,最后以电解过程举例说明,该方法可用于化工企业进行危险性因素辨识。