Our White Papers

Facility siting has come under increasing scrutiny in recent years and is an important aspect of process safety for plant personnel and their contractors. In December 2009, API issued the Third Edition of the Recommended Practice 752, “Management of Hazards Associated with Location of Process Plant Permanent Buildings,”

This paper considers changes in Hazard and Operability (HAZOP) methodology since its introduction 40 years ago. HAZOP is a team-based activity for identifying process hazards and operability concerns. The intent is to review process design and identify hazardous deviations through facilitated application of guidewords, then evaluate safeguards and (where necessary) recommend improvements.

As we start a new year, we can take pride in our accomplishments for 2002. Unfortunately, we cannot linger too long because there are new challenges awaiting us in 2003.

Despite investment of considerable resources to conduct PHAs, many companies are still experiencing a high rate of incidents and find that the causes of these incidents have not been identified and/or addressed in their PHAs.

With the increased regulatory focus on pressure relief and flare systems (PRFS) design basis, many companies are in the process of updating their existing relief systems design documentation.

PRV stability, inlet pressure drop and built-up backpressure, should be evaluated at the rated capacity of the PRV. The rated capacity of the PRV corresponds to a specific overpressure, which is 10% of the set pressure or 3 psi, whichever is greater, for ASME VIII certified relief devices.

This paper illustrates a case study that compiles and analyses management system audit findings and related data from a sample of 16 process facilities.

In the process safety industry, technical expertise is paramount, but it is the mastery of soft skills that truly elevates an individual and an organization. This presentation moves beyond the technical to explore the essential human elements that drive a safer and more collaborative work environment.

Vessels and pipes filled with fluids require pressure relief in order to protect from loss of containment caused by fluid thermal expansion. Thermal expansion of fluids occurs when the fluid is heated as a result of steam tracing, solar radiation, external fire, etc.

Chemical process hazards cannot be effectively managed if they first cannot be properly identified. This is especially true for reactive chemicals storage, processing, and management. Reaction rates can be significantly influenced by the presence of contaminants, inhibitors, incompatible chemicals, etc.

Thermochemistry is very important when exploring the hazard potential of a chemical decomposition or a chemical reaction. Accurate formation energies are essential for the evaluation of hazard potential and thermochemistry. Formation energies include the enthalpy of formation (ΔHf ), the Gibbs free energy of formation (ΔGf ), and the absolute entropy of formation (So).

The biogas market is growiong rapidly, with a projected 4.5% CAGR from 2022 to 2027. With global and national initiatives to reduce carbon emissions such as the Paris Agreement and the UK Net Zeo 2050 goal, biofuels will play a crucial role in meeting those targets. Despite their benefits, biogas facilities face significant safety challenges.

Two-phase flow is often considered in system hydraulics as well as the evaluation and design of pressure relief and effluent handling systems. A variety of scenarios can lead to two-phase flow under relief conditions.

The growing public concern over potential terror threats to LNG carriers and the expected increase in LNG shipping traffic led to several recent LNG safety studies.

This white paper explains how and who determines the maximum allowable working pressure (MAWP), the relationship between MAWP and Design Pressure, and finally how high-pressure vessel is designed. It specifically looks at how ASME VIII Division 1 formulas