Consequence risk analysis using operating procedure event trees and dynamic simulation

Faults due to human errors cost the petrochemical industry billions of dollars every year and can have adverse environmental consequences. Unquantified human error probabilities exist during process state transitions performed each day by process operators using standard operating procedures. Managing the risks associated with operating procedures is an essential part of managing the overall safety risk. Additional operator training and safety education cannot eliminate all such faults due to human errors; therefore, we propose an operating procedure event tree (OPET) like analysis with branches and events specifically designed to perform risk analysis on operating procedures. The OPET method adapts event trees to analyze the risk due to human error while performing operating procedures. We consider human error scenarios during the procedure and determine the likely consequences by applying dynamic simulation. The modified event tree provides an estimate of the error frequencies.Operating procedure steps were developed, and potential operator faults were determined for two typical equipment switching procedures found in chemical plant operations. Then, dynamic simulation using Aspen HYSYS software was applied to determine the overpressure related consequences of each fault. Finally, the error frequencies resulting from those scenarios were analyzed using operating procedure event trees. We found that a typical ethylene plant gas header would overpressure with 0.6% frequency per manual dryer switch. Since dryer switches occur from every few days up to once per shift, these results suggest that dryer switching should be automated to ensure safe and environmentally friendly operation. Process dryer switching performed manually by operators opening and closing gate valves can be automated with control valves and a distributed control system. A sample distillation column was found to overpressure with 0.85% frequency per manual reflux pump switch.     

Guidelines for life extension process management in oil and gas facilities

Facilities life extension has caught the attention among the capital-intensive industries, like oil and gas. By extending the life cycle of the industrial assets, a wide range of benefits is obtained, comparing with other life ending management strategies. This article first contextualizes the implementation of the life extension concept in the oil and gas industry, showing global data about life extension. Despite the importance of the ageing process, due to its great economic impact and the risk it poses to the production sector, regulatory entities, even in countries more advanced in that sector or that have already experienced the extension process, developed only superficial material about the topic without defining a structured methodology for the assessment of the possibility of useful life extension. The available references do not allow a comprehensive analysis of that possibility, which highlights the importance the methodology proposed. Thus, this article proposes a guideline for the life extension process management, strengthening a framework containing the main evaluation stages, aiming to facilitate the analysis of issues related to ageing and to support the decision-making process. Lastly, real case studies regarding current life extension processes submitted to the Brazilian regulatory body were evaluated against the proposed framework stages, evidencing their lack of necessary details to support the decision-making. Upon the realization that the real cases identified do not allow for the assessment of the contribution and adequacy of the proposed framework in its entirety, the same was also applied to a hypothetical case. The latter was developed based on facts reported by a major operator in Brazil. The result was the determination that the use of the proposed methodology transformed the assessment of the possibility of life extension into a systematic and transparent process, leading to easier and better-founded decision-making procedures, and improving the management of the asset during its extended life.     

Systematic incorporation of inherent safety in hazardous chemicals supply chain optimization

Increasing globalization has made many chemical supply chains large, interdependent and complex. Process incidents often affect the reliability of a supply chain and can cause large disruptions at different segments of the industry. We propose an optimization-based framework that systematically takes into account the trade-offs between process safety and supply chain economics for decision-making. We quantify the hazard at various supply chain echelons in the form of a safety index that takes both fire and toxic hazards into account. A mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP)-based model is developed to either maximize profit for specified hazard limits, or to minimize hazard in a supply chain with multiple production plants, technological options, warehouses and distribution nodes. The MINLP model is used to generate trade-off optimal solutions for various toxic and fire hazard limits. The framework is demonstrated by applying it to an end-to-end ammonia supply chain case study which resulted in several non-intuitive observations regarding hazardous supply chain design and optimization.     

Applications of dust explosion hazard and disaster prevention technology

Powdered materials are widely used in industrial processes, chemical processing, and nanoscience. Because most flammable powders and chemicals are not pure substances, their flammability and self-heating characteristics cannot be accurately identified using safety data sheets. Therefore, site staff can easily underestimate the risks they pose. Flammable dust accidents are frequent and force industrial process managers to pay attention to the characteristics of flammable powders and create inherently safer designs.This study verified that although the flammable powders used by petrochemical plants have been tested, some powders have different minimum ignition energies (MIEs) before and after drying, whereas some of the powders are released of flammable gases. These hazard characteristics are usually neglected, leading to the neglect of preventive parameters for fires and explosions, such as dust particle size specified by NFPA-654, MIE, the minimum ignition temperature of the dust cloud, the minimum ignition temperature of the dust layer, and limiting oxygen concentration. Unless these parameters are fully integrated into process hazard analysis and process safety management, the risks cannot be fully identified, and the reliability of process hazard analysis cannot be improved to facilitate the development of appropriate countermeasures. Preventing the underestimation of process risk severity due to the fire and explosion parameters of unknown flammable dusts and overestimation of existing safety measures is crucial for effective accident prevention.     

一种分离式可降温安全帽设计

为了解决高温作业环境下安全帽内部微环境积热严重问题,运用ANSYS软件模拟分析了安全帽内部微环境积热的空间和时间分布情况。基于模拟结果,设计了一款分离式可降温安全帽,其由帽体、喷嘴、风管、风机和开关组成。在高温高湿环境下,模拟人员分别佩戴在帽衬带上装有温度传感器的普通安全帽和分离式可降温安全帽进行剧烈运动模拟高温作业人员高强度劳动,记录其温度变化。结果表明:分离式可降温安全帽有良好的降温效果,同时具有不破坏安全帽的结构和强度,几乎不增加安全帽重量,无噪声、无电磁辐射,拆装简便等优点。     

基于熵权-TOPSIS模型的企业安全文化评估系统设计

为能够评估出企业安全文化建设水平,以系统论、安全管理、现代信息技术等多学科理论为基础,深入挖掘安全文化体系要素,分析各要素理解要点及实施要点,探讨企业安全文化体系评估程序和内容,提出基于熵权-TOPSIS 深度分析模型的定性和定量相结合方法对安全文化结果进行深度分析;在“互联网+”背景下充分利用现代信息技术发展的最新成果,针对企业安全文化评估要点,设计企业安全文化评估系统。结果表明:该评估体系可为实现企业安全文化评估的信息化、数据化和可视化提供解决方案。     

分散液液微萃取气相色谱-质谱法测定水中15种硝基苯类化合物

建立了超声辅助基质分散液液微萃取（UA-DLLME）作为前处理联合气相色谱串联质谱（GC-MS）同时测定地下水和地表水中15种硝基苯类化合物的分析方法。萃取剂、分散剂、萃取温度、萃取时间和离子强度等影响因素采用Plackett-Burman设计,快速筛选出最显著影响因素,利用中心组合设计（CCD）简化实验步骤优化显著因素,结合响应曲面图最终确定最佳的萃取条件：5 mL水样在3%氯化钠条件下迅速加入40 μL四氯化碳（萃取剂）和0.5 mL乙腈（分散剂）,50 ℃下超声4 min,混合液4 000 r/min离心3 min。结果表明：15种硝基苯类化合物在50.0~1 000.0 μg/L的浓度范围内线性相关系数均大于0.995;采用超声辅助基质分散液液微萃取时,方法检出限（MDL）为0.018~0.039 μg/L;15种目标物的加标平均回收率为83.31%~99.08%,相对标准偏差均不高于5.0%（n=6）。     

中国碳标识内容规范化的原则与进路

碳标识属于一种环境标志,中国碳标识标注内容的规范需要在参考国际环境标准体系包含的Ⅰ型、Ⅱ型、Ⅲ型标志的基础上作出改进。基于立法学分析,碳标识标注内容的规范原则包括信息量化原则、描述和评价结合原则、包容原则。碳标识内容的制度设计思路包括:①采取先单行型、后分散型的立法模式,先单行规定碳标识内容的一般性规则,再分散规定碳标识内容在具体应用的行业领域中的规则;②基于信息量化原则借鉴Ⅲ型环境标志所涉标准体系,其中重点借鉴碳标识标准ISO 14067;③基于描述与评价结合原则借鉴并改进食品标签营养参考值内容之规范模式,建立碳排放参考值规范及与之配套的消费领域分类规范,并通过标准文件"推荐性/强制性"的切换契合碳标识内容规范在不同消费领域中规制强度需求不同的特点;④提倡基于Ⅰ型、Ⅱ型环境标志的碳标识应用,合理鼓励中国碳标识认证进行创新与竞争。由此,对碳标识内容的规范可通过进一步整合,完善中国绿色产品认证体系建设。同时,为确保碳标识内容规范的可操作性与社会效益,碳标识内容的规范化仍需要多学科的参与。     

二氧化氯处理中药废水的氧化特性研究

采用稳定性二氧化氯溶液氧化降解中药废水,运用正交设计方法考察了常温、常压(291～298 K,1.013×10~5Pa)下ClO_2起始浓度([ClO_2]:COD)、pH、氧化反应时间等因素对中药废水处理效果的影响。研究表明,(1)当[ClO_2]:COD在1.0～0.4范围时,COD的平均去除率42%;当[ClO_2]:COD大于1.0或小于0.4时,COD平均去除率仅为27%～35%;(2)pH=2～4时,COD去除率可以达到40%以上,且pH≥10时,COD去除率高达59%;(3)COD去除率随着反应时间的延长而升高,氧化反应30 min左右,COD去除率能达到40%以上,105 min后处理效率达到63%;(4)ClO_2处理中药废水的最佳工艺条件是[ClO_2]:COD为0.7:1,反应pH值6,反应时间75 min。     

采用配方均匀设计法利用脱水污泥制备陶粒的研究

长期以来,对城市污水处理后产生的污泥处置一直是环保的难题,传统的处理处置方法均存在诸多问题,寻求一种好的处理处置污泥方法迫在眉睫。针对目前的问题运用带约束条件的配方均匀设计方法对粉煤灰-脱水污泥陶粒配方进行实验设计,运用三叶回转窑进行小试。研究了陶粒组分中粉煤灰、污泥、黏土的比例对烧成陶粒堆积密度、颗粒强度的影响;确定了最佳物料配比,使陶粒的性能测试指标均符合GB/17431.2-1998标准的规定。实验结果表明:烧制陶粒湿比例下脱水污泥用量达45%,干比例污泥用量15.2%,污泥减量化和资源化效果显著;陶粒浸出毒性实验结果表明各项指标均低于浸出液中危害成分浓度限值,达到了污泥无害化的效果;粉煤灰、污泥和黏土的优化质量(干)比例为79%,15.2%,5.8%;陶粒的堆积密度为600 kg/m3,筒压强度2.2 MPa,1 h吸水率10.2%,粒型系数1.3。