On the process and implications of drawing up and running a security plan according to ADR in an SME-type company

This paper is specifically related to the provisions of the European Agreement Concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road (ADR), Chapter 1.10, introduced in 2005 as a result of a recognized terrorist threat (the potential misuse of hazardous goods as a weapon), prescribing a Security Plan to be elaborated. The paper outlines the process of drawing up, implementing and running a Security Plan in an anonymous, but typical, SME company in Slovenia, involved in the storage and distribution of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and technical gases, considering the provisions set out and the available guidelines. Selected examples of the approaches and issues related to the implementation process are briefly demonstrated, e.g., the risk-assessment results with the anticipated development of the incident events, followed by general examples on personnel authorities and the responsibilities imposed, and similar. The process revealed some critical points and limitations in the expectations. For example, in a typical SME it is difficult to nominate independent representatives who are free of production-related work priorities (as their primary role) for the enforcement, evaluation and testing of the security measures introduced (which is usually their secondary role).     

危险废物焚烧处置设施性能测试技术研究

危险废物集中焚烧处置是我国危险废物处置的最主要和最直接的方式之一。性能测试是检验危险废物焚烧处置设施能否达到正式运行要求的第一步,是保障焚烧处置设施安全稳定运行的必要手段,是颁发危险废物经营许可证的技术支撑。本文从标准废物选择及配置、性能测试指标体系建立、性能测试条件确定、性能测试监测技术研究、性能测试报告编制等方面开展适合我国国情的性能测试技术研究。     

Managing process chemicals,technology and equipment information for pilot plant based on Process Safety Management standard

Injuries, accidents or even fatalities while working in pilot plant are reported worldwide. The OSHA Laboratory Standard and Hazard Communication Standard have been used as a guideline to manage safety of laboratories and pilot plant. In spite of the implementation of these standards, incidents which result in injuries and property loss are continuously occurring. The implementation of OSHA Process Safety Management (PSM) Standard in pilot plant is expected to further reduce the risks of accidents. This paper presents a new system for managing process chemicals, technology and equipment information in pilot plant and the concept is developed based on Process Safety Information (PSI) element of PSM 29 CFR 1910.119(d). It provides organized strategies to manage documentations, communicate information, and written program for maintaining, revising and updating related information. Process and Instrumentation Diagram (P&ID) is used as a foundation for data management. Implementation of this system at the CO₂ Hydrocarbon Absorption System pilot plant as a case study is examined and discussed.     

Risk evaluation in Dutch land-use planning

In Dutch external safety policy, the acceptance of risk for the population in areas surrounding hazardous substances establishments is based on a limit value for individual risk (IR). Additionally, changes to societal risk (SR) must be justified. A specific software program (SAFETI-NL) with the associated Reference Manual Bevi Risk Assessments (RIVM, 2009) is legally required for the calculation of IR and SR. This prescribed “Bevi calculation method” forms the basis for decisions with important consequences for industry, land use planning and the protection of citizens. It is important that the outcome of calculations made with the prescribed method can be relied upon when making decisions about land use planning that affects both industry and population. This is the subject of this paper.The prescribed calculation method has been evaluated by performing a case study. The evaluation focussed on risk modelling of a Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapour Explosion (BLEVE) at an LPG filling station, an incident type that plays a significant role in Dutch external safety. The risk modelling of the BLEVE with the prescribed calculation method was found to have a number of serious deficiencies. It is concluded that the prescribed calculation method yields no reliable perspective on the safety of production, use and storage of hazardous substances, nor of possibilities to increase safety.Decision making should not only depend on quantification of IR and SR. Improving the safety-relevance of the prescribed calculation method requires an increase of the number of dimensions of the outcome of risk calculations in order to make feedback possible. It is recommended to incorporate additional, safety-relevant information into planning and decision-making processes. It is envisaged that a more far-reaching change of Dutch QRA practice is needed (medium to long term). In this context, a number of interesting elements have been noticed in decision-making procedures in other EU Member States.     

Developing a chaotic pattern of dynamic risk definition for solving hazardous material routing-locating problem

In the case of determining routes and locations for constructing distribution centers on hazardous materials (Hazmat) transportation, risk and cost are considered as the main attributes for developing mathematical models. Since, Hazmat transport risk may be defined as a chaotic factor, using dynamic risk changes the selected routes and optimized locations for constructing distribution centers.In the present paper, an iterative procedure has been proposed to determine the best routes and optimized locations of distribution centers for transporting hazardous materials based on the concept of chaos theory in which hazmat transport risk is defined as a dynamic variable. A mathematical model has been developed for solving Hazmat routing and locating problems, simultaneously. Daily transport risk, defined as a chaotic variable, is iteratively updated using one-dimensional logistic map equation over the time period (year). An experimental road network, consists of eighty nine nodes and one hundred and three two-way edges, has been selected for analytical process and model validation. Results revealed that although different amounts of risk and cost priorities change optimized locations of distribution centers and their associated supplies, but the most frequent set of optimized centers remains independent. Therefore, the proposed procedure is capable to determine the best routes and optimized locations for distributing hazardous materials. While risk is iteratively updated over a specific time period, results show that the main property of chaos theory known as dependency upon initial condition would not be a serious concern for decision makers who are dealing with Hazmat management.     

Hazardous waste incinerators under waste uncertainty: Balancing and throughput maximization via heat recuperation

Hazardous waste incinerators (HWIs) differ substantially from thermal power facilities, since instead of maximizing energy production with the minimum amount of fuel, they aim at maximizing throughput. Variations in quantity or composition of received waste loads may significantly diminish HWI throughput (the decisive profit factor), from its nominal design value. A novel formulation of combustion balance is presented, based on linear operators, which isolates the wastefeed vector from the invariant combustion stoichiometry kernel. Explicit expressions for the throughput are obtained, in terms of incinerator temperature, fluegas heat recuperation ratio and design parameters, for an arbitrary number of wastes, based on fundamental principles (mass and enthalpy balances). The impact of waste variations, of recuperation ratio and of furnace temperature is explicitly determined. It is shown that in the presence of waste uncertainty, the throughput may be a decreasing or increasing function of incinerator temperature and recuperation ratio, depending on the sign of a dimensionless parameter related only to the uncertain wastes. The dimensionless parameter is proposed as a sharp a’ priori waste ‘fingerprint’, determining the necessary increase or decrease of manipulated variables (recuperation ratio, excess air, auxiliary fuel feed rate, auxiliary air flow) in order to balance the HWI and maximize throughput under uncertainty in received wastes. A 10-step procedure is proposed for direct application subject to process capacity constraints. The results may be useful for efficient HWI operation and for preparing hazardous waste blends.     

Utilization of regression technique to develop a predictive model for hazard radius from release of typical methane-rich natural gas

The aim of hazardous area classification around equipment handling or storing of flammable fluids is to avoid the ignition of those releases that may occur from time to time in the operation of these equipment. There is a point source approach for the classification of hazardous areas which can estimate hazard radius by using hole size and release pressure. Methane-rich natural gas is widely used or produced in the process industries. Till date, there exist no reference that represents hazard radii for the wide range of possible hole sizes and release pressures of this fluid. The aim of the present study was to propose a predictive model for estimation of hazard radii due to releases of typical methane-rich natural gas based on hole size and release pressure. In this study, a complete database of hazard radii due to a broad range of hole sizes and release pressures was provided using available discharge and dispersion models. A regression-based model for estimation of hazard radii was developed based on the provided database. Performance investigation of the proposed model and a case study showed that the results are reliable with an acceptable standard error.     

Experimental and numerical methodology for the analysis of fireproofing materials

In this study, a methodology for the assessment of fireproofing materials performance is presented. The methodology is based on a combined experimental and numerical approach. A modified version of the ASTM E162 standard fire test was used to expose specimens of steel board protected with different types of fireproofing materials to a steady radiation source. The temperature of the steel board was recorded with an infrared camera in order to evaluate the heat up due to the fire and characterize the protective performance. Experimental results were used to validate a simplified mono-dimensional model which allowed simulating more severe conditions and different protection configurations. A specific key performance indicator (KPI) was used for the quantitative assessment of fireproofing effectiveness. Finally, the professional career of Menso Molag, safety pioneer in the framework of hazardous materials transportation, was outlined.     

Influence of leaching conditions for ecotoxicological classification of ash

The Waste Framework Directive (WFD; 2008/98/EC) states that classification of hazardous ecotoxicological properties of wastes (i.e. criteria H-14), should be based on the Community legislation on chemicals (i.e. CLP Regulation 1272/2008). However, harmonizing the waste and chemical classification may involve drastic changes related to choice of leaching tests as compared to e.g. the current European standard for ecotoxic characterization of waste (CEN 14735). The primary aim of the present study was therefore to evaluate the influence of leaching conditions, i.e. pH (inherent pH (～10), and 7), liquid to solid (L/S) ratio (10 and 1000 L/kg) and particle size (<4 mm, <1 mm, and <0.125 mm), for subsequent chemical analysis and ecotoxicity testing in relation to classification of municipal waste incineration bottom ash. The hazard potential, based on either comparisons between element levels in leachate and literature toxicity data or ecotoxicity testing of the leachates, was overall significantly higher at low particle size (<0.125 mm) as compared to particle fractions <1 mm and <4 mm, at pH 10 as compared to pH 7, and at L/S 10 as compared to L/S 1000. These results show that the choice of leaching conditions is crucial for H-14 classification of ash and must be carefully considered in deciding on future guidance procedures in Europe.     

危险废物管理中分类管理的必要性

通过对危险废物产生源的分析 ,阐述了分类管理在危险废物管理中的必要性。并提出了分类的原则 (废物特性等级和危险成分的内部结构两原则 )。