Requirements for improved process hazard analysis (PHA) methods

In order to develop better process hazard analysis (PHA) approaches, weaknesses in current approaches first must be identified and understood. Criteria can then be developed that new and improved approaches must meet. Current PHA methods share common weaknesses such as their inability specifically to address multiple failures, their identification of worst-consequence rather than worst-risk scenarios, and their focus on individual parts of a process. There has been no comprehensive analysis of these systemic weaknesses in the literature. Weaknesses are identified and described in this paper to assist in the development of improved approaches. Knowledge of the weaknesses also allows PHA teams to compensate for them to the extent possible when performing studies.Key criteria to guide the development of improved methods are proposed and discussed. These criteria include a structure that facilitates meaningful brainstorming of scenarios, ease of understanding and application of the method by participants, ability to identify scenarios efficiently, completeness of scenario identification, exclusion of extraneous scenarios, ease of updating and revalidating studies, and ease of meeting regulatory requirements. Some proposals are made for moving forward with the development of improved methods including the semi-automation of studies and improvements in the training of team members.     

Targeting for optimal grid-wide deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) techniques are considered as one of the promising approaches to reduce carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from fossil fuel based power generation, which still accounts for a significant portion of greenhouse gas emissions in the world. CCS technology can be used to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, with the additional advantage that it allows continuing use reliable and inexpensive fossil fuels. However, CCS retrofit entails major capital costs as well as a reduction of overall thermal efficiency and power output. Thus, it is essential for planning purposes to implement the minimal extent of CCS retrofit while meeting the specified carbon emission limits for the power sector. At the same time, it is necessary to plan for compensatory power generation capacity to offset energy losses resulting from CCS retrofit. In this paper, an algebraic targeting technique is presented for planning of grid-wide CCS retrofits in the power generation sector with compensatory power. The targeting technique is developed based on pinch analysis. In addition, the proposed methodologies are illustrated through case studies based on grid data in India and the Philippines. Sensitivity analysis is carried out to determine the suitable CCS technology and compensatory power source which satisfy emission limits.     

Optimizing the design of storage facilities through the application of ISD and QRA

Four strategies can be used to achieve safety in chemical processes: inherent, passive, active and procedural. However, the strategy that offers the best results is the inherent safety approach, especially if it is applied during the initial stages of a project. Inherently Safer Design (ISD) permanently eliminates or reduces hazards, and thus avoids or diminishes the consequences of incidents. ISD can be applied using four strategies: substitution, minimization, moderation and simplification. In this paper, we propose a methodology that combines ISD strategies with Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA) to optimize the design of storage installations. As 17% of major accidents in the chemical industry occur during the storage process and cause significant losses, it is essential to improve safety in such installations. The proposed method applies QRA to estimate the risk associated with a specific design. The design can then be compared to others to determine which is inherently safer. The risk analysis may incorporate complex phenomena such as the domino effect and possible impacts on vulnerable material and human elements. The methodology was applied to the San Juanico tragedy that occurred in Mexico in 1984.     

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.     

Simulation-based fault propagation analysis—Application on hydrogen production plant

Recently production of hydrogen from water through the Cu–Cl thermochemical cycle is developed as a new technology. The main advantages of this technology over existing ones are higher efficiency, lower costs, lower environmental impact and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Considering these advantages, the usage of this technology in new industries such as nuclear and oil is increasingly developed. Due to hazards involved in hydrogen production, design and implementation of hydrogen plants require provisions for safety, reliability and risk assessment. However, very little research is done from safety point of view. This paper introduces fault semantic network (FSN) as a novel method for fault diagnosis and fault propagation analysis by using evolutionary techniques like genetic programming (GP) and neural networks (NN), to uncover process variables’ interactions. The effectiveness, feasibility and robustness of the proposed method are demonstrated on simulated data obtained from the simulation of hydrogen production process in Aspen HYSYS^®. The proposed method has successfully achieved reasonable detection and prediction of non-linear interaction patterns among process variables.     

A mathematical approach for retrofit and optimization of total site steam distribution networks

This paper presents a generic mathematical model for retrofitting the steam power plants in an industrial site. The industrial sector under review consists of one steel mill, one oil refinery, and several petrochemical plants, where only small-scale steam integration has been implemented before this study. The relevant unit models in a typical steam power plant are established, and the steam plant retrofit problem is formulated as a mixed-integer nonlinear program (MINLP). Feasible retrofit alternatives suggested by experienced field engineers are investigated in sequence to examine the revenue of those possible modifications. The first scenario examines operational optimization of existent plants; the second option allows installation of one new turbine and replacement of several boilers and turbines with lower efficiency; the third scenario considers using a steam ejector to upgrade the disqualified import steam in the oil refinery. The significant merits from these three retrofit alternatives show that the proposed MINLP formulation has been a great help to enhance the inter-plant steam integration in an industrial sector.     

矿山环境质量评价指标体系及层次分析法评价

根据矿山环境评价指标体系设计的原则,利用模糊数学理论的分级别的隶属度量化对初选的指标体系进行优化,形成矿山环境质量评价指标体系．在此基础上运用层次分析法对指标权值进行确定,建立矿山环境质量评价体系模型,此模型为矿山环境的评价与治理提供决策支持服务。     

Techno-Economic Study of CO2 Capture from an Existing Cement Plant Using MEA Scrubbing

Carbon dioxide is the major greenhouse gas responsible for global warming. Man-made CO₂ emissions contribute approximately 63% of greenhouse gases and the cement industry is responsible for approximately 5% of CO₂ emissions emitting nearly 900 kg of CO₂ per 1000 kg of cement. CO₂ from a cement plant was captured and purified to 98% using the monoethanolamine (MEA) based absorption process. The capture cost was $51 per tonne of CO₂ captured, representing approximately 90% of total cost. Steam was the main operating cost representing 39% of the total capture cost. Switching from coal to natural gas reduces CO₂ emissions by about 18%. At normal load, about 36 MW of waste heat is available for recovery to satisfy the parasitic heat requirements of MEA process; however, it is very difficult to recover.     

农村生活污水分散式处理技术浅析

综述了农村生活污水对环境的污染问题,分析了利用分散式处理方式来处理农村生活污水的优势,并介绍了国内外农村生活污水处理的技术,着重介绍了我国厌氧技术应用的现状并分析了其发展。     

The impact of the BP Baker report

Introduction

This study examined the impact of the British Petroleum (BP) Baker Panel Report, reviewing the March 2005 BP-Texas City explosion, on the field of process safety.

Method

Three hundred eighty-four subscribers of a process safety listserv responded to a survey two years after the BP Baker Report was published.

Results

Results revealed respondents in the field of process safety are familiar with the BP Baker Report, feel it is important to the future safety of chemical processing, and believe that the findings are generalizable to other plants beyond BP-Texas City. Respondents indicated that few organizations have administered the publicly available BP Process Safety Culture Survey. Our results also showed that perceptions of contractors varied depending on whether respondents were part of processing organizations (internal perspective) or government or consulting agencies (external perspective).

Conclusions

This research provides some insight into the beliefs of chemical processing personnel regarding the transportability and generalizability of lessons learned from one organization to another.

Impact on Industry

This study has implications for both organizational scientists and engineers in that it reveals perceptions about the primary mechanism used to share lessons learned within one industry about one major catastrophe (i.e., investigation reports). This study provides preliminary information about the perceived impact of a report such as this one.