https://bulkinside.com/bulk-solids-handling/explosion-protection-process-safety/dust-explosion-hazards/
January 8, 2022
January 4, 2022
IS TRUCK GROUNDING NECESSARY?
https://bulkinside.com/bulk-solids-handling/explosion-protection-process-safety/is-truck-grounding-necessary/
November 30, 2021
How to Avoid Common Genset Room Design Mistakes
October 16, 2021
Protecting Battery Energy Storage Systems from Fire and Explosion Hazards
September 30, 2021
How to Prevent Fire Hazards Associated with Static Electricity
August 8, 2021
A game-changing approach to furnace safeguarding
This work is a follow-up article to “Automate furnace controls to improve safety and energy efficiency,” which was published in the June 2014 edition of Hydrocarbon Processing.
August 4, 2021
Role of fired heater safety systems
Role of fired heater safety systems
A fully automated burner management system operating as a SIS for burner control can meet minimum safety targets, improve system availability and lower costs
NIKKI BISHOP and DAVID SHEPPARD
Emerson Process Management
July 30, 2021
Design Options for Overfill Protection for Aboveground Atmospheric Tanks - Best Practices
"Overfilling of a tank is an important safety hazard. It may result in
loss of tank fluid and potentially severe consequences if the fluid is
flammable or environmentally sensitive. Additionally, it is necessary
to preserve the mechanical integrity of a tank. This article first
looks briefly at various ways liquid may overfill a tank, and then
describes different design options as best practices to take care of
situations where overfilling is a possibility. The main paper will
contain diagrams and appropriate references."
July 26, 2021
DONT UNDERESTIMATE OVERFILLING RISKS
"Loss of level control has contributed to three significant industrial incidents:
In Australia, the Esso Longford explosion in September 1998 resulted in two fatalities, eight injuries, and A$1.3 billion (more than U.S. $ 1 billion) in losses [1];In the U.S., the BP Texas City explosion in March 2005 caused 15 fatalities and more than 170 injuries, profoundly affected facility production for months afterwards, and incurred losses exceeding $1.6 billion on BP [2]; andIn the U.K., the Buncefield explosion in December 2005 injured 43 people, devastated the Hertfordshire Oil Storage Terminal, and led to total losses of as much as ₤1 billion (about $1.5 billion) [3, 4]."
Read the article at https://www.chemicalprocessing.com/articles/2010/143/
July 11, 2021
Process safety time for fired heaters
The fired heater is a common unit operation in the refining and petrochemical industries that is used to increase the temperature of a process fluid. Fired heaters are required when a process-to-process heat exchanger or a utility exchanger (steam condenser, hot oil heater) cannot provide sufficient driving force to raise the temperature of a process fluid for downstream processing. There are numerous applications for fired heaters, from preheating feed to process units to reboiling distillation towers.
During the course of normal operation a fired heater will be exposed to disturbances in the supply of fuel, combustion air, or process fluid that may lead to a potentially hazardous condition developing. To manage these disturbances and take appropriate action to safely operate and control the fired heater, several layers of protective systems are normally provided.1 These protective systems are designed to take independent action that will prevent the fired heater from reaching a hazardous condition.Continue reading at Process safety time for fired heaters
March 22, 2021
OSHA STANDARD FOR BREATHING AIR
“Compressed breathing air shall meet at least the requirements for Grade D breathing air described in ANSI/Compressed Gas Association Commodity Specification for Air, G-7.1-1989, to include:
Oxygen content (v/v) of 19.5% - 23.5%;
Hydrocarbon (condensed) content of 5 milligrams per cubic meter of air or less;
Carbon monoxide (CO) content of 10 parts per million (ppm) or less;
Carbon dioxide (CO2) content of 1,000 ppm or less; and
Lack of noticeable odor”
March 18, 2021
OSHA'S RECOMMENDATIONS TO PREVENT INADVERTENT HOOKING UP OF BREATHING AIR INTO NITROGEN SYSTEMS
To help ensure that workers do not inadvertently hook up to inert gas supplies, the following recommendations should be implemented:
•Ensure that all requirements related to respiratory protection as outlined in29 CFR 1910.134 are met. Written standard operating procedures governing the selection and use of respirators must be developed and implemented. Requirements for training and instruction in the proper use of respirators and their limitations must be met at all facilities.
•Ensure (determine) that the couplings of the respirator air lines are incompatible with any other couplings/fittings for non-respirable air or gas delivery systems.Replace couplings on non-breathing air systems with another, incompatible type of coupling.
•Ensure that breathable air systems are not in any way interconnected to non-breathable air systems.
•Develop a maintenance procedure to address supply-line identification (labeling)and painting. Stress the purpose of color coding and the importance of completing detail painting in a timely fashion to ensure that this visual cue is always available to aid workers.
Source: Osha.gov
February 27, 2021
February 24, 2021
February 20, 2021
February 4, 2021
January 9, 2021
December 25, 2020
December 21, 2020
December 17, 2020
Can a flame arrester element be made of a non metallic element?
Flame arresters are often provided on vent lines in atmospheric storage tanks storing flammable materials. The principle of operation is by cooling the flame and extinguishing it before it reached the inside of the tank. As the flame travels through the element, it is exposed to a large area of the element, which can be folded meshes etc. But do you know that the element inside does not necessarily have to be metal? The flame arrester element itself experiences very little warming, because it is subjected to a high temperature for a very short time. Heat transfer is initially due to convection/diffusion and then later due to conduction after flame has been extinguished. Hence non metallic elements like PTFE can be used to avoid plugging. See one vendors catalogue here https://www.protego.com/products/detail/FA-I-PTFE.html
Note: This is for information only.