Stephen Rowe manages DEKRA Organisation and Process Safety in the UK. He has a 30 year career in the assessment of chemical reaction hazards and laboratory assessment of of process safety hazards, including dust, gas, and vapour flammability, as well as explosives characterization. He is an experienced trainer and regular contributor to national and international process safety conferences and symposia. He has a first degree in chemistry, a PhD in Chemical Reaction Hazards/Chemical Engineering, is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, and active Member of The Institute of Chemical Engineers and the Institute of Directors.
Challenges in Process Safety Assurance of a Hazardous Epoxidation
This case study summarizes the retrospective process to assure safety of an energetic epoxidation process following regulatory intervention action.
Older, existing plant processes are not immune from a requirement to demonstrate that a safe system of work exists. Often, they present the greatest risks as process safety knowledge and regulatory expectations evolve over time. This case study summarizes the retrospective process to assure safety of an energetic epoxidation process following regulatory intervention action. The critical role of reaction calorimetry (and reaction characterisation) in the assurance of safe processes id highlighted.
The process involves a number of hazardous materials and process safety risks. The presentation focuses on the integration of various disciplines required to construct the safety case taking in to account reaction thermochemistry and kinetics, identification of hazardous scenarios, experimental quantification of the consequence of hazardous scenarios, layers of protection analysis, safety instrumented systems and relief system design - all of which are required to construct a sound safety case. Taken together - and with several changes to the plant/process - a tolerable residual risk can be demonstrated.
Join the hundreds of researchers who have already viewed this presentation.
The presentation focuses on the criticality of good calorimetry data to characterize and understand the reaction, as well as the consequence of deviation scenarios. Without good calorimetric data, you cannot have a reliable basis of safety. The case study concludes with the requirement for engagement of laboratory chemists in process safety, including an engineering contribution to the chemical development process. Overall, there are a number of lessons to be learned by those developing new processes and those operating older processes.
