Chemical Process Safety: Learning from Case Histories [2 ed.] 9780750670227, 0-7506-7022-3

Table of contents :
Contents......Page 6
PREFACE......Page 12
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS......Page 14
The Media Rarely Focuses on the Benefits of the Chemical Industry......Page 16
A Glance at the History of Chemical Manufacturing before the Industrial Revolution......Page 17
The Modern Industrial Chemical Industry Modifies Our Way of Living......Page 18
Risks Are Not Necessarily How They Are Perceived......Page 19
Plant Employee Safety versus Lifestyle Choices......Page 22
The Chemical Industry's Excellent Safety Record......Page 23
Who Has the Most Dangerous Jobs?......Page 24
Just How Dangerous Is It to Work in a Chemical Plant in the United Kingdom?......Page 30
Fatal Risks Data for Various Activities in the United Kingdom......Page 31
How Do Chemical Plants Compare on Nonfatal Accident Rates?......Page 32
The Chemical Manufacturing Industry Needs Continuous Improvement to Gain Universal Credibility......Page 33
A Tank Truck Catastrophically Fails......Page 36
Siphoning Destroys a Tender Tank......Page 40
A Well-Intended Change Yields a Storage Tank Collapse......Page 45
A Water Drain Line Is Altered and a Reactor Explodes......Page 50
An Air System Is Improved and a Vessel Blows Up......Page 52
A New Air System Improved Economics, but Jeopardized Safety......Page 55
Another Incident with Nitrogen Backup for a Compressed Air Supply......Page 56
Concerns for Safety on a Refrigerated Ethylene Tank......Page 58
Beware of Impurities, Stabilizers, or Substitute Chemicals......Page 59
Good Intentions on Certain New Protection Systems Lead to Troubles......Page 60
The Lighter Side......Page 61
A Review of Good Intentions......Page 62
3. Focusing on Water and Steam: The Ever-Present and Sometimes Evil Twins......Page 64
A Hydrotest Goes Awry......Page 65
A Flooded Column Collapses as Water Is Being Drained from the System......Page 69
Water Reacting with Strong Chemicals......Page 72
Easy-to-Use Steam Heat Can Push Equipment beyond Safe Design Limits......Page 73
Heating Water in a Confined System......Page 75
Steam Condenses and a Mega-Vessel Is Destroyed during Commissioning......Page 76
A Tragedy Develops When Hot Oil Is Pumped on a Layer of Water......Page 79
Some Problems When Preparing for Maintenance......Page 84
The Best Seven Books on Chemical Process Safety—From a Process Engineer's Viewpoint......Page 0
Preparing a Brine Sludge Dissolving System for Maintenance......Page 86
A Violent Eruption from a Tank Being Prepared for Maintenance......Page 89
An Explosion While Preparing to Replace a Valve in an Ice Cream Plant......Page 90
A Chemical Cleaning Operation Kills Sparrows, But Improves Procedures......Page 93
A Tragedy When Preparing for Valve Maintenance......Page 94
A Review of Changes Made to Prepare for Maintenance......Page 96
5. Maintenance-Induced Accidents and Process Piping Problems......Page 98
Repairs to a Pipeline Result in Another Iron-in-Chlorine Fire......Page 99
Repaired Reboiler Passes the Hydrotest and Later Creates a Fire......Page 100
A Tank Explodes during Welding Repairs after Passing a Flammable Gas Test......Page 101
A Phenol Tank's Roof Lifts as Repairs Are Made......Page 102
Catastrophic Failures of Storage Tanks as Reported by the Environmental Protection Agency......Page 103
The Phillips 66 Incident: Tragedy in Pasadena, Texas......Page 105
A Massive Fire, BLEVEs, and $5 Million Damages after a Mechanic Improperly Removes a Valve Actuator......Page 109
Misdirected Precautions on a Reactor System Isolation Plug Valve Results in a Vapor Cloud Explosion......Page 112
A Breathing Air System on a Compressed Air Main Is Repaired......Page 113
A Hidden Blind Surprises the Operators......Page 114
Poor Judgment by Mechanics Allowed a Bad Steam Leak to Result in a Minor Explosion......Page 118
The Flixborough Disaster and the Lessons We Should Never Forget......Page 120
Do Piping Systems Contribute to Major Accidents?......Page 121
Specific Piping System Problems Reported as Major Incidents......Page 122
OSHA Citations......Page 123
Four Case Histories of Catastrophic Pipe Failures......Page 124
Piping Problems Review......Page 126
Explosion Occurs after an Analyzer Is Repaired......Page 128
Instrument Air Backup Is Disconnected......Page 129
A Furnace Temperature Safeguard Is Altered......Page 130
Another Costly Gasket Error......Page 134
As Compressed Asbestos Gaskets Are Phased Out, Other Leaks Will Occur......Page 137
Other Piping Gasket Substitution Problems......Page 138
Hurricane Procedures Are Improperly Applied to a Tank Conservation Vent Lid......Page 139
Painters Create Troubles......Page 142
Another Pipefitter's Error......Page 143
A Cooling Water System Is Safeguarded and an Explosion Occurs Some Months Later......Page 144
Lack of Respect for an Open Vent as a Vacuum-Relief Device Results in a Partial Tank Collapse......Page 145
Lack of Respect for an Open Vent as a Pressure-Relief Device Costs Two Lives......Page 146
The Misuse of Hoses Can Quickly Create Problems......Page 147
One-Minute Modification Review......Page 150
Failure to Provide Operating Instructions Cost $100,000 in Property Damages......Page 152
Explosion Relief for Low-Pressure Tanks......Page 155
Tinkering with Pressured Vessel Closure Bolts Ends with a Harmless Bang......Page 157
Piping Specifications Were Not Utilized......Page 159
Plastic Pumps Installed to Pump Flammable Liquids......Page 166
An Explosion Could Have Been Avoided If Gasket Specifications Were Utilized......Page 167
Review......Page 168
A Process Safety Management Quiz......Page 171
New Fiber Production Methods Questioned......Page 173
Practical Problem Solving......Page 174
Mechanical Integrity in a Chemical Plant......Page 178
A Regulatory View of Mechanical Integrity......Page 179
Mechanical Integrity in Design and Installation......Page 180
Equipment Covered by Mechanical Integrity......Page 181
Regulatory Enforcement of Mechanical Integrity......Page 182
Written Procedures and Training......Page 183
Classification of Equipment by Hazard Potential......Page 184
Mechanical Integrity Programs for Pumps/Compressors......Page 185
Thermography Techniques for Rotating and Stationary Equipment......Page 191
Mechanical Integrity Programs for Piping, Pressure Vessels, Storage Tanks, and Process Piping......Page 193
Inspection of Pressure Vessels and Storage Tanks......Page 195
Inspection of Above-Ground Piping......Page 206
Mechanical Programs for Safety-Critical Instruments and Safety Relief Valves......Page 207
Protective Process Safety Interlocks at a DuPont Plant......Page 217
Additional Information on Mechanical Integrity......Page 227
Preliminary Thoughts on Managing Change......Page 230
Are Management of Change Systems Like Snowflakes?......Page 231
A Reality Check Provided by Previous Chapters......Page 232
Some Historical Approaches to Plant Changes......Page 233
An Overall Process Description to Create or Improve a Management of Change System......Page 236
Clear Definitions Are Imperative......Page 237
Key Steps for an Effective Management of Change System for a Medium or Large Organization......Page 240
Key Steps for an Effective Management of Change System for a Small Company......Page 246
Multidisciplined Committee Can Provide an In-Depth Look When Identifying Hazards......Page 248
Variances, Exceptions, and Special Cases of Change......Page 249
Management of Change Approvals, Documentation, and Auditing......Page 251
Closing Thoughts on a Management of Change Policy......Page 252
Some Historical Approaches to Plant Changes......Page 254
How Are Chemical Plants Addressing Plant Modifications during the 1980s and Beyond?......Page 255
New Recommendations and New Regulations......Page 257
How Should Potential Hazards Be Identified and Evaluated?......Page 258
11. Investigating and Sharing Near-Misses and Unfortunate Incidents......Page 264
What Does the Regulation Say about Incident Investigations?......Page 265
Plant Cultures Can Affect Investigations......Page 266
More Guidelines on the Culture of Incident Reporting......Page 268
Layers of Incident Causes......Page 269
A Furnace Tube Failure Case History Is Revisited......Page 270
Process Safety Incident Investigation Techniques......Page 271
Applying Root Cause Analysis......Page 272
Some Chemical Manufacturers' Approaches to Incident Investigation......Page 273
Some Thoughts on Process Safety Incident Investigation Techniques......Page 274
Complying with the OSHA Element on Incident Investigation......Page 275
Conclusions......Page 279
Closing the Interview and Documenting It......Page 280
12. Sources of Helpful Information for Chemical Process Safety......Page 282
General Chemical Process Safety Books......Page 284
Practical Information on Safety Critical Instruments and Pressure Vessels, Tanks, and Piping......Page 286
Other Helpful Resources......Page 287
A......Page 294
C......Page 295
D......Page 296
G......Page 297
I......Page 298
M......Page 299
O......Page 300
P......Page 301
S......Page 302
T......Page 303
W......Page 304