Analysis of underlying causes of investigated loss of containment incidents in Dutch Seveso plants using the Storybuilder method

In the Netherlands there are around 400 “Seveso” sites that fall under the Dutch Major Hazards Decree (BRZO) 1999. Between 2006 and 2010 the Dutch Labour Inspectorate's Directorate for Major Hazard Control completed investigations of 118 loss of containment incidents involving hazardous substances from this group. On the basis of investigation reports the incidents were entered in a tailor-made tool called Storybuilder developed for the Dutch Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment for identifying the dominant patterns of technical safety barrier failures, barrier task failures and underlying management causes associated with the resulting loss of control events. The model is a bow-tie structure with six lines of defence, three on either side of the central loss of containment event. In the first line of defence, failures in the safety barriers leading to loss of control events were primarily equipment condition failures, pre start-up and safeguarding failures and process deviations such as pressure and flow failures. These deviations, which should have been recovered while still within the safe envelope of operation, were missed primarily because of inadequate indication signals that the deviations have occurred. Through failures of subsequent lines of defence they are developing into serious incidents. Overall, task failures are principally failures to provide adequate technical safety barriers and failures to operate provided barriers appropriately. Underlying management delivery failures were mainly found in equipment specifications and provisions, procedures and competence. The competence delivery system is especially important for identifying equipment condition, equipment isolation for maintenance, pre-start-up status and process deviations. Human errors associated with operating barriers were identified in fifty per cent of cases, were mostly mistakes and feature primarily in failure to prevent deviations and subsequently recover them. Loss of control associated with loss of containment was primarily due to the containment being bypassed (72% of incidents) and less to material strength failures (28%). Transfer pipework, connections in process plant and relief valves are the most frequent release points and the dominant release material is extremely flammable. It is concluded that the analysis of a large number of incidents in Storybuilder can support the quantification of underlying causes and provide evidence of where the weak points exist in major hazard control in the prevention of major accidents.     

Quantitative assessment in safety reports of the consequences from the detonation of solid explosives

Safety reports are mandatory documents in member states of European Union whenever any threshold limits of amounts of either stored or processed hazardous substances are exceeded. After a short introduction to EU Seveso Directives on major-accident hazards involving dangerous substances and to the transposition and implementation by member states, with a brief comment on last 2012/18/EU Directive (also known as Seveso III directive), the paper focuses on drafting of safety reports for industrial activities involving solid explosives. Specifically, the quantitative assessment of consequences from detonation is tackled respect to the side-on overpressure and the debris production. Both direct and inverse problems are illustrated to determine respectively the overpressure value at a given distance, and the explosive amount that allows respecting the regulations. Their solution is based on either analytic or numerical techniques and being based on recent scientific publications on the matter either evaluates or zeroes nonlinear algebraic equations. The availability of these equations avoids grounding the consequences assessment on diagrams and nomograms that otherwise would lead to interpretation and usage errors besides avoiding the automatic solution of the inverse problem. The paper focuses also on details such as embankment, crater, munitions, rocket propellant, building structure, and wall material that, at different levels, play a role in the assessment of detonation consequences. A discussion on debris formation, the available literature, and the evaluation of the impact probability of fragments on both fixed and moving targets closes the paper.     

扬沸火灾发生时间预测模型的建立与应用分析

原油储罐扬沸火灾由池火灾发展而成,是一种危害性极大的事故.准确预测扬沸事故发生的时间,是扬沸机理研究中的难题之一.现有扬沸时间计算的通用模型由于没有考虑油品的粘性作用,计算结果误差较大.把扬沸火灾简化为无内热源的非稳态传热问题,在此基础上进行传热分析,进而推导出扬沸事故时间计算模型.设定了6组不同尺寸和不同充装水平的原油储罐池火灾,利用推导模型计算出了相应的扬沸事故发生时间.将计算结果与通用模型计算结果以及实验结果进行对比:该模型的准确性由于通用模型,计算结果与实验值误差较小,较为合理.研究结果对于扬沸火灾事故下消防人员的灭火救援的安全保障具有重要意义.     

基于电磁辐射的矿井冲击地压区域监测预报研究

电磁辐射技术作为一种非接触式监测煤岩动力灾害的方法已得到广泛应用.为了提高监测数据的利用率,更加准确的预测冲击地压,从千秋煤矿的地质构造、煤层赋存等方面分析了其发生冲击地压的主要原因,在此基础上研究了基于电磁辐射技术的冲击地压区域监测预报方法.结果表明,区域性电磁辐射不仅能够在较大尺度上反映煤岩体内部应力分布及演化规律,同时能够在一定程度上避免单个测点数据异常的干扰,从而有效地提高了冲击地压监测预报的准确性.研究成果对千秋煤矿及相似条件矿井的冲击地压监测预报工作具有重要的现实意义及应用价值.     

宜兴煤矿安全经济护巷煤柱宽度的研究确定

为节省资源,留最窄护巷煤柱,在借用FLAC3D模拟软件掌握不同护巷煤柱宽度下巷道围岩应力应变后,结合模拟的结果和实验室试验新材料GRT-201加固后的煤岩体强度指标,最终确定煤柱留设宽度为2m,较正常煤柱宽度留设减小了20多米.现场操作后巷道的变形率控制在5％以内,大大降低留设煤柱宽度的同时保证了工作面的正常接替和安全回采.     

基于物联网技术的特种设备监检移动办公系统开发

为了使特种设备监察、检验、作业过程更加规范、高效,提出了将物联网技术应用于特种设备监管办公的方案,开发了实际可用的便携式电梯监检移动办公系统.该系统利用射频卡标识电梯和作业人员,实现了和管理对象的直接交互;采用无线通信网络建立手持终端机与管理系统后台服务器之间的通信,实现特种设备现场与特种设备监察检验管理系统的实时交互.运行测试结果显示,利用监检移动办公系统手持机可以在现场认证作业人员资质、现场查询设备详细信息和现场出具检验报告,并且运行稳定可靠,实现了特种设备监察、检验、作业过程的自动识别和实时、远程管理.     

石化行业应用PDCA与6S结合的安全管理模式探讨——以催化裂解工艺为例

随着科学技术的不断进步和新材料、新工艺的不断应用,石化企业危险化学品的种类和数量逐渐增多,危险源和安全隐患日益突出,石化企业的发展迎来了安全生产的全新挑战。论述了PDCA循环管理和6s管理的概念、含义及实施步骤,分析了催化裂解阶段包括原料产品、反应装置等方面的危险性,提出将PDCA循环与6S管理相结合的管理模式应用到石化企业催化裂解阶段的具体内容和注意事项,应用PDCA与6S相结合的管理,有助于进一步创新石化企业安全管理模式,提高企业的安全管理水平。     

电磁辐射职业危害及防护对策

科技飞速发展的今天,射频及微波技术已经广泛应用于国民经济的各个领域,这使得越来越多的从业人员在工作场所受到电磁辐射污染的影响。本文总结归纳了我国电磁辐射职业危害状况,分析了现代企业电磁辐射防护的新特点,并提出企业电磁辐射防护对策。     

煤自燃灾害气体指标的阶段特征试验研究

为分析煤自燃早期气体指标变化特征规律,更好地解决煤矿现场灭火救灾决策问题,通过煤自燃程序升温试验,首先得到煤样气氛中O2,CO,CO2,CH4,C2H4和C2H6气体的体积分数随温度的变化规律。根据煤体温度,将煤自燃前期划分为5个阶段(潜伏、储热、蒸发、活跃和乏氧)。分析3种不同变质程度的煤样的气体指标在各阶段的变化特征。建立煤自燃气体指标与特征温度阶段区间的对应关系。结果表明:在自燃潜伏阶段,煤的变质程度越低,早期越易产生CO,越难产生CH4;在储热阶段,煤的变质程度越低,早期越易且越快产生C2H6;在蒸发阶段,煤内外在水分脱附,低变质煤的C2H4也随之产生;在活跃阶段,各种气体体积分数均有剧烈增高的趋势,较高变质煤的C2H4也随之产生;在乏氧阶段,O2体积分数低于15%,与O2体积分数相关指标(CO/ΔO2,CO/CO2等)趋势有所改变。     

安全科技英语专业设置的可行性探索与研究

国家十分重视安全生产,安全生产已成为国家“十一五”规划的重要内容之一。如何适应安全科技教育发展的新机遇是安全教育工作者所关注的重要课题。笔者通过调查研究,在分析安全科技英语专业设置的必要性和重要意义的基础上,提出了安全科技英语专业人才的培养模式,构建了安全科技英语专业课程体系的基本框架,并就安全科技英语专业特色进行了研究和探索,指出了安全科技英语专业设置应注意的若干问题。