Sulphuric acid mist leak incident

A news article reports a small leak of sulphuric acid mist  from a DuPont plant in USA. Read about it and watch the video in this link.

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Pumps and process safety

Pumps are the lifeline for a chemical unit. Often we tend to forget the basics and this causes problems which may lead to a process safety incident. Read a good presentation called " Where can we go wrong in pump design?" by 
Dick Hawrelak in this link.

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Fire during transfer of hydrogen peroxide

Times of India has reported that " 16  workers and two fire and rescue services personnel were injured in a fire at an industrial unit in the SIPCOT industrial estate in Cuddalore on Wednesday when workers were engaged in transferring inflammable chemical hydro peroxide from a container imported from China into 190kg barrels and in transporting the barrels to the godown. One of the barrels slipped while transporting and the chemical inside leaked leading to the fire."

See a photo of the fire in this link.


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SUlphuric acid tank collapse

 An incident in 2005 caused a sulphuric acid tank to collapse causing 11000 MT of acid to leak out. The acid reached the sea and caused a reaction setting off a cloud. Luckily the wind direction was towards the sea and there were no fatalities. The cause of the incident was due to a bursting of a pipe (contents not mentioned) that weakened the foundation of the tank, causing the tank to collapse!
 
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Pipe replacement in refinery - update

Further to my earlier post regarding replacement of material of construction of the pipes in the refinery which had a major fire, someone has sent me this link for an update on the subject
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Chevron-pipe-dispute-could-deter-restart-4051867.php#ixzz2Clk9QVjJ


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Power failure causes SO2 leak

A transformer failure in a smelter in Australia caused a leak of So2 and So3 gases from the acid plant. Ensure that your utilities are well maintained as they have a direct effect on process safety. Read about the incident in this link.

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Pipe rupture accident in ammonia plant

A high pressure pipe rupture in an ammonia plant during start up has been reported. A news article mentions that d a contract worker who sustained lacerations to the head and another employee complained of aches and pains from being pushed against the wall during the pressure wave. Read the article in this link.

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Positive material identification

I recently investigated an incident caused by counterfeit material of construction. How good is your positive material identification system? Be careful as there are a lot of counterfeit material being offered at low cost which may be tempting to buy but will cause a major process incident later.

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Pipe replacement in refinery after incident

Chevron's refinery which experienced a fire last August has mentioned that they are replacing materials of construction of certain pipes with chrome alloy to avoid corrosion problems. Read the article in this link.

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Incomaptibility incident

An incident caused a fatality when sodium hydrogen sulphide was accidentally unloaded in to a tank containing dilute sulphuric acid causing H2S generation. Read about the incident in this link.

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AVoid Verbal Instructions!

A friend send me this. Avoid Verbal Instructions... no offense meant to anyone but it is a powerful lesson!

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Applying Tank Farm safety Standards for India - Honeywell paper

A good article by Honeywell India about Applying Tank farm safety standards in India can be read in this link.

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Industrial Control Room: The Control Room of the Future - Smarter Reality

 Industrial Control Room: The Control Room of the Future - Smarter Reality

 
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Worlds Largest ammonia storage tanks

For my friends in the fertilizer industry, QAFCO is building the World's largest ammonia storage tanks, each of 50,000 MT capacity. I started my career in ammonia plant in 1979 when tank capacities were 5000 MT!!
The new tanks are single wall with concrete containment.
Read more in this link.

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Tank design standards

I often see tanks not being given their due importance by process engineers when modifications are being carried out. Many modifications are done without the use of proper engineering standards. A tank failure can be catastrophic and a good article mentioning the basic precautions and standards to be followed is available in this link.

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Trainee engineer dies due to nitrogen

The Hindu newspaper has reported a fatality in a valve manufacturing company where a trainee engineer entered a cryogenic pit that was filled with nitrogen. It is sad that people continue to loose their lives due to this gas. Please share with all your colleagues. It may save a life. Read the article in this link.

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Bromine gas leak incident

Thanks to Abhay Gujar for sending news about a bromine gas leak. The Times of India reports that "Over 150 people needed treatment and three are in intensive care after bromine gas leaked from a pharmaceutical company in Dombivli's MIDC and spread over a 1-km radius area affecting over 2.5 lakh people. Anger and fear are frothing in the surrounding settlements as this was the fourth instance of carelessness with chemicals that has imperiled people in the industrial area in the past two months".

Read the full article in this link.

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Top management competency and process safety

I often interact with senior management regarding process safety issues and what I see presently troubles me. Over the years, the senior management in many chemical industries have gradually changed from hardcore chemical engineers and well experienced in plant operations and maintenance to those without a chemical engineering background and plant experience (finance and commercial background). Now this should not be a problem as long as the factory heads are in a position to assert their requirements in process safety and obtain the budgets necessary. But there is also a decline in the competency of factory heads in many units. The disease seems to be spreading and many future accidents are going to be attributed to this.
I don't know if there is a solution to this!
I would appreciate feedback from readers on how this works in their organization. You can mail me at bkprism@gmail.com
 
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H2S leak from oil well

Thanks to Vinod Kumar (my chemical engineering classmate!) for sending details of a H2S leak from an oil well which had reportedly reached Kuwait city. A news article mentions that the leak has been set afire to reduce the toxicity. See pictures and read the report in this link.

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Pipe opening hazards

Many accidents continue to occur when pipelines carrying hazardous materials are opened without proper clearing, resulting in accidents. The pressure to complete a job quickly results in major accidents
Read an excellent safety alert by the CSB regarding the hazards of pipeline opening in this link.

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