Process safety and security

Dow Chemicals has beautifully pictured their "integrated approach to chemical security management" on their website in this link
I wonder when India will really wake up to chemical security threats and bring in legislation and enforce it. With the threats of naxalites and external terrorists and the fact that a number of hazardous chemical units are based on the coast,it becomes imperative that a coordinated approach to chemical plant security is implemented. Let us not wait for an attack to happen!

Fire at Pharma Plant at Ankleshwar

An article in economic times mentions the following "A fire at pharmaceutical major Wockhardt’s Rs 300-crore Ankleshwar facility damaged one of its six manufacturing plants. It will take six months to recommission the unit, a company spokesman said.
The incident adds to the woes of a debt-laden Wockhardt, which had defaulted on payment of its overseas convertible bonds last year, and was forced to accept a corporate debt restructuring package that included sale of some company assets". Read the full article at this link.
While the cause is being investigated, it must be remembered that when companies go under loss, it requires a great effort to maintain safety systems.

Process safety - uncomplicate things!

In the Times of India April 28,2010, an article mentions that powerpoint is the US military's new enemy - A general is reported to have said "When we understand that slide (seen above), we would have won the war"! The same general has said that "Its dangerous because it can create the illusion of understanding and the illusion of control". Now what does this have to do with process safety? It is the same as the complicated powerpoint! Just because you perform a complex PHA, SIL study or conduct a management of change study does not mean everything is in control. I have seen many incidents occur even though such studies were conducted. Be practical while conducting these studies and do not go overboard!

Process Safety and Overflow protection

I read a nice article on high integrity overflow protection. In the article there is a statement that one of the key requirements of a high integrity overfill protection self certification program is "Acknowledged competency to review the design aspects of both mechanical- and/or electrical-components including component failure modes, fail-safe vs. fail-danger, any claimed automatic diagnostics, and internal redundancy in order to produce a quantitative failure rate (This number will eventually plug into calculations that determine if a particular design meets its defined SIL requirements".
I have observed many SIL (Safety Integrity Level) studies where the above competency becomes suspect. Many organisations think that just because they have completed a SIL study, they are safe. A SIL study starts from a good PHA (Process Hazard Analysis) study and here itself, if the competency of the people participating in the study is inadequate, then "garbage in, garbage out".
In many cases, there has been an overkill of recommendations from a SIL study, leading to the organization spending money unnecessarily.

Read more of the article in this link

Process Safety in LPG storage

At Vishakapatnam, the storage of LPG is being done in underground caverns as well as mounded storage. The underground storage facility is an engineering feat by itself.
"A safe method for the storage of large quantities of LPG is Cavern storage. In this method, LPG is stored in mined/artificial caverns at a depth of 160 m to 200 m below the sea level. Cavern is subjected to an external pressure by the saturated rock around the surface, which facilitates in the containment of LPG. The cavern storage is economical only for storage capacities above 50,000 mt and is feasible subject to the suitability of the rock, proximity to the ports with infrastructure for LPG receipt".
A nice description of the cavern is given by the company in this link.
For a draft paper on its construction and other details, please see this link.
HPCL, Visak has also constructed mounded storage of LPG. An article mentions that "Mounded storage of LPG i.e. creating a sand mound around the LPG storage vessels, which are placed above the ground level, is now increasingly being considered by HPCL as the best solution for protecting LPG vessels from BLEVE.
The mounded storage system provides the following advantages:
LPG stored in the form of mounded storage totally eliminates the possibility of BLEVE. The sand cover of 1 metre, which provides natural insulation from external heating, is adequate to outlast any fire in the surrounding areas. Water cooling systems are not required.
In addition, the mounding material provides good protection against most of the external influences like flying objects and pressure waves from explosions".
Read more of the article in this link