> Ceeedoe ‘The Chemical Industry Safety and Health Council is composed of directors and senior managers tepresenting member firms of the Chemical Industries ‘Association which provides the secretariat from its staff. The objectives of the Council are to secure the health, safety and weltara of persons at work in the industry and to protect others from the risks of its products, fo maintain the high standards of safe operation already achieved and to improve Sad extend them. It co-ordinates the various safety and health activities of the ‘Chemical Industries Association. nn First edition issued 1977 Chemical Industry Safety and Health Council of the Chemical Industries Association, Alembic House, 93 Albert Embankment. London SE1 7TU . PRICE: £4.50 BeO A Guide to HAZARD AND OPERABILITY STUDIES Propared initially in 1C1 and edited for general industry use by representatives of BP Chemicals Ltd Chemical Industries Association Lid Nl Central Safety Dat ‘Shell Chemicals (UK) Lt Under ihe aegis ofthe CISHEC Sofoty Commit. \ |Foreword ‘The Chemical Industry is an industry concerned with innovation. It produces @ continual stream of new processes and products which sometimes involve working ‘at extremes of temperature, pressure, scale of operation or of toxicity. Major Changes lead in turn to a series of minor changes as knowledge increases and processes are optimised. There is within the Industry great and growing awareness of the necessi apply mora systematic approaches to safety—particulerly in plant design. In addition, there is increasing pressure from saciaty at large for improved standards of safety. Whenever something new is carried out there is the danger that some part of the process will not behave in the expected manner and that such a deviation could have serious effects on other parts of the process. ‘One technique designed to study such deviations is known as a Hozerd and Operability Study, This is defined in the British Chemical Industry Safety ‘Council publication Safety Audits in the following manner Tho application of a formal systematic critical examination to the process and engineering intentions of the new facilities to assess the hazard potential of mat-operation of malfunction of individual items of equipment and the consequential effects on the facility as a whole. ‘The technique aims to stimulate the imagination of designers in a systematic way so that they can identify the potential hazards in a design. It is extremely flexible. It can be applied to all types of plant within the Industry ranging from large continuous ones such as petrochemical or ammonia plants, through small batch units to individual proprietary items of equipment such as autoclaves or ~ machines for making sheets of plastic. The technique can be used by small ‘organisations as well as by large ones. ‘This guide introduces the technique and has been written to give an sppreciation of tho method itself, its scope and its value.Penryn Noto on presentation The sequence of chapters has been arranged firstly to convay the basic principles of the technique and then to place it in context. The distinguishing feature of Hazard and Operability Studies is the ‘Examination Session’ during which a multi-disciplinary team systematically examines all relevant parts of a design using a structured but creative approach. As this is the key to the whole enterprise it is described first in a chapter devoted to the principles of examination. Some preparative work is necessary before the examination and naturally there is follow-up work to deal with and document the hazards exposed. Chapter 3 deals with the practical procedures for carrying out a Hazard and Operability Study, Hazard and Operability Studies are not an end in themselves but are part of an. overall procedure for the initiation, design, construction, commissioning and operation of facilities, Studies can ba undertaken at various stages, the timing of which is discussed in chapter 4 Further aspects are discussed in Appendices. The first three deal with practical applications including worked examples for various types of plant. Practical advice is given subsequently on how to make a start with Hazard end Operability Studies, how to train people to carry them out and how to provide @ continuing support for those engaged in them. ere coer Peoeastdaean ateContents , Pago 1 INTRODUCTION 1 2 PRINCIPLES OF EXAMINATION, 1 2.1 The basic concept if 2.2 Asimple example 2 2.3 Meanings of guide words 6 2.4 Further advice on the uso of guide words 6 | 3 THE PROCEDURE FOR A STUDY 8 3.1. Dofinition of objectives 8 3.2 Team composition 8 3.3 Preparative work 10 | 3.4 Examination in practice u" 3.5 Follow-up work 13 3.6 Recording 14 | 4 THE PROGRAMMING OF STUDIES 14 4.1 Early checking for mejor hazards 15 i 4.2 Studies at ‘design freeze’ stage 16 | 4.3 Studies pre start-up 16 44 Studies on existing plants 7 & GLOSSARY OF TERMS 18 6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 20 7° ~REFERENCES 20 APPENDICES 1 n to.a continuous plant a 2 25 3 Application to a proprietary item of equipment 31 4 How to start Hazard and Operabilty Studies 39 & Training a 6 Tho formalisation of Hazard and Operability Studies 42a 4 INTRODUCTION Primarily, safety in the design of chemical plants relies on the application of various codes of practice or design codes which are based on the wide experienco and knowledge of professional experts and specialists in the industry. Such application is backed up by the experience of local plant managers and engineers, who have been involved in similar plants and who hava had direct experience in their operation. All new projects embody some element of change but in the chemical industry the degree of change from one plant to the next is often considerable. It Is important to recognise that the body of established experience expressed in codes, tc is limited by the extent of existing knowledge and can only be relevant to the extent to which it is possible to apply it to new products, new plant and new mathods of operation involved in tha new design. It has become increasingly clear in recent years that although codes of practice are extremely valuable, itis par- ticularly important to supplement them with an imaginative anticipation of hazards when new projects involve new technology. ‘The need to check designs for errors and omissions has been recognised for 2 Tong time, but this has traditionally been done on an individual basis, Exaerts have usually applied their special skills or experience to check particular aspects of design. For example the instrument engineer would check the control systems and having satisfied himself that the systoms were satisfactory would put his mark of approval on the design and pass it to the next ‘expert’. This kind of individual checking, provided it is carried out conscientiously, will obviously improve the design but clearly it has littlo chance of detecting hazards concerned with the interaction of a number of functions or specialisms. These hazards sre likely 10 result from the unexpected interaction of seemingly safe components or methods fof operation undar exceptional conditions. If it is wished to study such interactions in naw designs, the combined skills of a group of experts is required. Their total knowledge and informed imaginations can ba used to anticipate whether the plant will operate as intended under ail possible circumstances. This report provides a method of working for such a group so that they can carry ut their task systematically and thoroughly. 2 THE PRINCIPLES OF EXAMINATION Because the exemination procedure is the fundamental part of a Hai Operability Study, it is highlighted and described separately in this chapt 2.1 Tha Basic Concept Essentially the examination procedure takes a full description of the process, systematically questions every part of it to discover how deviations from the intention of tha design can occur and decides whether thess deviations can give tise to hazards. ‘The questioning is focussed in turn on every part of the design. Each part is subjected to a number of questions formulated around a number of guide words which are derived from method study techniques. In effect, the guide words are used to ensure that the questions, which are posed to test the integrity of each part of the design, will explore every conceivable way in which that design could deviate from the design intention, This usually produces a number of theoretical deviations and each deviation is then considered to decide how it could be caused and what would be the consequences. Some of the causes may be unrealistic and so the derived consequences will be rejected as not meaningful, Some of the consequences may be trivial and would 1bo considered no further. However, thers may ba same deviations with both causes that are conceivable and consequences that are potentially hazardous, These potential hazards are then noted for remedial action, Having examined one part of the design and recorded any potential hazards associated with it, the study progresses to focus on the next part of the design. ‘The examination is repeated until the whole plant has been studied. The purpose of the examination is to identify all possible devietions from the way the dosign is expected to work and ail tho hazards associated with these devia tions. In addition, some of the hazards can bo resolved. if the solution is obvious and is not likely to cause adverse effects on other parts of the design, a decision ccan be taken and the design modified on the spot. This is not always possiblo— for example, it may be necessary to obtain further information. Thus the output from examinations normally consists of a mixture of decisions and questions for answering at subsequent meotings. Although the approach as described may appear to generate many hypothetical deviations in a mechanistic way, the success or failure depends on four aspects. i Tho accuracy of drawings and other data used as the basis for the study ‘The technical skills and insights of the team ‘The ability of tha team to use the approach as an aid to their imagination in visualising deviations, causes and consequences iv Tha ability of the team to maintain a sense of proportion, particularly when assessing the seriousness of the hazards which aro identified Because the examination is so systematic end highly structured, it is necessary ‘that those participating use certain terms in a precise and disciplined way. Tho: most important of those terms are Intention The intention defines how the part is expected to operate. This can take a number of forms and can ba either descriptive or diagrammatic. In many cases it will be a flowsheet or line diagram. Other forms are described in section 3.3. Deviations These ara departures from the intention which are discovered by systematically applying the guide words, Causes These are the reasons why deviations might occur. Once a deviation has been shown to have a conceivable or realistic cause, it can be treated as meeningful, . Consequences These are the results of the deviations should they occur. Hazards These are consequences which can cause dama injury oF loss. Guide Words Thess are simple words which are used to qualify the intention in order to guide and stimulate the creative thinking process and so discover deviations. A list of guide words Is given in Table 1 (page 7). 2.2 A Simple Example To illustrate the principles of the examination procedure, consider a plant in which chemicals A and B react togother to form a product C, Let us suppose that the chemistry of the process is such that the concentration of raw material B must never exceed that of A otherwise an explosion may occur. Referring to Figuro 1 start, say, with the pi of the pump which delivers raw mater ine extending from the suction side A to where it enters the reaction vessel.One net Figure 1 AN EXAMPLE OF A SIMPLE FLOWSHEET. Material A Overflow Resction: A+B = Component B must not exceed Component A to avoid an exglosion ‘The part of the plant examined is outined thus The intention is partly described by the flowsheet and partly by the process controt Fequirements to transfer A at some specified rate, Tho first deviation is that obtained by applying the guide word NOT, DON'T or NO to the intention. This is ‘combined with the intention to give DONT TRANSFER A The flowsheet is thon examined to establish the causes which might produce @ ‘complete cessation of flow of A. These causes could be i Supply tank is empty i Pump fails to tura—mechenical failure electrical failure —pump is switched off, iii Pipeline is fractured iv Isolation valve is closed Clearly some at least of these are conceivable causes and 80 we can say thet this is @ meaningful deviation, . iNext we consider the consequences. Complete cessation of flow of A would very soon lead to an excess of B over A in the reaction vessel and consequently to @ risk of explosion, We have therefore discovered a hazard in the design and this is noted for further consideration, ‘We now apply the next guide word which is MORE, The deviation is MORE A IS PASSED INTO THE REACTION VESSEL ‘The cause would be that the characteristics of the pump may, under some circum- stances, produce excessive flow rate. If this cause is accepted as realistic, we then consider the consequences i The reaction produces C contaminated with an excess of A which goes on into the next staga of the process ‘The excess flow into the reaction vessel means that some will leave the vessel by the overflow Further information will have to be obtained to decide whether these consequences would constitute a hazard. The next guide word is LESS. The deviation is LESS A IS PASSED INTO THE REACTION VESSEL ‘The causes are a little different from those when the deviation was the complete cessation of flow of A i. The isolation valve is slightly closed ‘The pipeline is partly blocked iii, The pump fails to produce full flow—because the impellers are eroded, or because valves are worn, ete ‘The consequence Is similar to complete cossation of flow and so the potential hazard is of a possible explosion. Four further guide words are in turn applied to the design intention of this part, to ensure that all conceivable deviations are explored. When tho pipeline which introduces raw material A has been examinad, It is marked on the flowsheet as having been checked. The next part of the design is thon chosen for study and this could be the pipeline which introduces raw material B into the reaction vossel, This sequence is repeated for every part of the design, each fine, the vessel auxiliaries such as stirers, any services to the vessel such as the provision of heating and cooling and tha vessel itself. A chart of the sequenca 's given in Figure 2. This particular approach is sometimes called the ‘line by line” method, ‘Only under exceptional circumstances is a written record made of every step of the examination, It is more usual to carry out the steps mentally and verbally In discussion and to write down only the potential hazards and their causes. ‘The proposed action is also noted if it can be agreed straight away. If there is some doubt about the action or if further information is required, the matter must be brought forward to a subsequent meeting,Figure 2 DETAILED SEQUENCE OF EXAMINATION Sect oe ’ t esa te mention af he ne esetog #eaninghl dewation | amine sottbi causes Repeat 610 for a messing devotions deve fom fst guige word Arpeat 51 fora he gui wore an ne a pave Bean eam ae 3 foesch ine Select an aay (eg heating system) ‘eget $12 le soiny Mane nun an having been earned Repent 16-18 or aires {alo manta of te vest Repent 5-12 ak eae 8 completed Papen 1-22 or 8 eri on Nose Mark Homsheet 8 compsated pent 1-26 fr a fowaeete2.3 Meanings of guide words In the simple example we have demonstrated the principles of the examination method by showing how to apply the first three guide words. These are usually straightforward and produce easily-understood deviations. The remaining four guide words are not so easily applied and require some further explanation, Theit meanings are now iliustrated—again by reference to the example shown in Figure 1. The next two deviations are both qualitative and all or part of the original design intention is retained. The first of these is a deviation in which some other offect occurs concurrently with the design intention. The guide words aro AS WELL AS. and the deviation AS WELL AS TRANSFER A. This could mean i Tho transfer of some component in addition to A. A search of the flowsheet in Figure 1 shows an additional fine with an isolation valve on the pump suction. If this valve were not shut, another component might be transferred together with A. This raises the possible effects of such a component either in its own right or as an inert diluent of A ii The tanster of A somewhere els in oddtion to its tanster to the reacion Inspection of the flowsheet shows this is possible. It could for example flow Up the ling on tha suction side of the pump The carrying out of another activity concurcently with the transfer. For example, ean A boil or decompose in the pipelines or pump ? ii ‘Tho other related deviation is that which occurs when the design intention is completely achieved. The guide words are PART OF and the devietion PART OF TRANSFER A. This could mean i A component of A is missing. Here a knowledge of the composition of A is equited so the effects of the missing component can bo assessed fi The omission of one or more reactors if the pump delivers A to more than one reactor. The final two deviations aro again qualitative but none of the original design intention is retained. The first of these is the opposite of the design intention. The guide word is REVERSE and the deviation REVERSE TRANSFER OF A. This means flow from the reactor back through the pump. The flowsheet is examined to see if this is possible and the consequences ate assessed. Lastly, there is the complete substitution of the design intention by something else, ‘The guide words ere OTHER THAN and the deviation is OTHER THAN TRANSFER, A. This could mean i Tho transfer of a different material. The flowsheet is examined to seo if this is possible. Substitution could arise in a number of ways. For example, the wrong material could be delivered or another materiel admitted via the T plece on the suction side of the pump. Information would be gathered on possible materials and their offects ji A change in the implied destination, fo transfer of A somewhere other than the reactor. Inspection of the flowsheet shows that this can happen via the T piece A chango in the nature of the activity. For example, can A solidify Instead of being transferred ? 2.4 Further advice on the use of guide words In the previous section, guide words have been presonted as a set of standard terms which can be applied to design intontions to generate notional deviations, Theit value and applicability depend upon the intentions to which they are applied and the possible modes of deviation from those intentions,When they are used on broadly-exoressed intentions they are all applicable. They may also be applied at the detailed level of descriptive words or phrases, However, when they are applied to intentions expressed in fine detail, some restrictions and even some modifications may be found necessary. When they ate applied to an activity such as REACT or TRANSFER it is usual to find that all the guide words will generate intelligibla notional deviations Sener times more than one, deviation will be generated by one guide word, Similarly when they are applied to substances, all guide words, with the possible oxcestion Of REVERSE, will bo intelligible. Again, more than one deviation may be dovaloped For example, MORE STEAM can mean a greater quantity or rate of eteamn (a capacity increase) or steam at higher pressure (an intensity increase) When dealing at a more detailed level of design intention, some restriction will be found because the possible modes of devietion are reduced. For example, suppose the design intention for a temperature of 100°C was being considered. Ths ony Possible modes of deviation (if we forget about the absolute 2er0) ara MORE, fy above 100°C and LESS, ie below 100°C. When the guide words are applied to time aspects, MORE and LESS may mean longer and shorter duration or higher and lower frequencies. However, when dealing with sequence or absolute time, the extra guide words SOONER or LATER give more insight than OTHER THAN. Similarly when dealing with Position, sources or destination, WHERE ELSE is more useful than OTHER THAN, Again HIGHER and LOWER will give more meaning than MORE and LESS for deviations in elevation. When dealing with a design intention involving @ complex specification of temperatures, rates, composition, pressures, etc, it may be better 10 apply the whole sequence of guide words to each element individually rather than Spply ‘each guide word across the whole range of the specification, Also, when applying A LIST OF GUIDE WoRDS words are applied to the design intention. Tho desiga intention tells us what the equipment Is expected to a0, GuIDE WORDS | MEANINGS COMMENTS. NO or NOT ‘Tho complete negation of | No part of the intentions is echioved but these intentions nothing else happens | eee MORE Quantitative increases or | Those refer to quantities + properties such decreases 8 flow rates and temporatures es well os Less ies Uke "HEAT" and REACT AS WELL AS | A qualitative increase 8_and operating intentions are achieved together with some odeftional vctiviy PART OF Acqualitaive decrease Only some of the intentions are achieved: some are not er REVERSE The logical opposite of the | This is mostly epplicable to activites, for intention ‘example roverse flow or chemical reaction. It can also be applied to substonces, ep, “POISON” instead of “ANTIDOTE” or “B* Instead of °L’ optical isomers substitution ‘No part of the originat intention is achieved, OTHER THAN | Compl ‘Something quite differant happensguide words to @ sentence it may be more useful to apply the sequence of guide words to each word or phrase separately, starting with the key part which described the activity. 3 THE PROCEDURE FOR A STUDY ‘The principles described in the previous chapter aro put into practice in a procedure which consists of the following steps i. Dofine objectives and scope ii, Select the team iii Prepare for the study iv Carry out the examination v_ Follow-up vi Record the results Each of these sussed in more detail. 3.1. Definition of objectives ‘Tho objectives and scope of a study should be made explicit as soon as possi ‘Some examples of reasons for a study are i To check a design il To decide whether and where to build—but see section 4.1 iii To decide whether to buy a piece of equipment iv To obtain a list of questions to put to @ supplier v_ To check running instructio vi To improve the safety of existing facilities It is also necessary to decide the types of hazard to be considered, for example 1 To peopta working in a plant fi To plant and equipment iii To or from product quality iv To the generat public ¥ To the environment ‘The physical limits of tho plant to be studied must be decided and whether inter- actions with neighbouring units or buildings should be included. Any time or financial constraints must be specified. It will also be necessary to state whether any aspects such as the civil engineering or the chemistry can bo taken for granted and deliberately excluded. The general objectives for a study are normally set by the person responsible for the project or for the plant; for example, the project menager, project enginesr or the plant manager, Ho is usually assisted in this definition by a study leader (so 3.2). The study will be carried out by a toam and the degree of authority given to ‘that team must be decided. The definition is made easier if the manager has an appreciation of the approach; training courses for managers are discussed in Appendix 5. 3.2 Team composition Hazard and Operability Studies are normally carried out by multi-disciplinary teams. There are two types of team member, namely those who will make & technical contribution and those who play a supporting and structuring role, Technical team members ‘The examination requires the team to have a detailed knowledge of tho way the plant is intended to work. This means a blend of those concemed with the design cof the plant and those concerned with its operation. The technique of using guide words generates a very large number of questions.Essential that the team contzins enough people with sufficient knowledge and experience to answer the majority of those questions without recourse to furiher expertise, As an exemple, a typical small chemical plant would be examined by a team consisting of each of the following Mechanical engineer Chemical engineer R&D chemist Production manager Project manager responsible for the project as 2 whole This group should contain sufficient expertise to provide the necessary technical input. Additionally if some members of the team are drawn from those wae en have some responsibility for the design of a plant, they will be particulsry motivated to produce a successful design and a safe operating procedure, Nom, ally these members of the team will have the necessay Tho blend of disciplines will vary with the . je : LoS require the inclusion of different disciplines f Instrument and electrical engineers Civil engineers Pharmacists, ete Tho training of team members is discussed in Appendix 6, Supporting team members Because examination sessions are highly structured and very systematic, it is fecessary to have someone to control the discussion. We will call this person the ‘study leader’, The study leader has a role to play throughout a study. He should help whoever has commissioned the study to define its scope. He may help with the selection and taining of the tear, He will advise on the assembly of the necessary deta and may help convert this into a suitable form. However, his most obvious tele merges during tho examination sessions where he guides the systematic question ing and he must be thoroughly trained for this Job. it is not desirable thet he should be responsible for making a major technical contribution. If possible, he should not hava been closely associated with the subject of the study 28 there is 2 danger of developing blind spots and failing to use the technique objectively; But he should have sufficient technical knowledge to be able to understand and control the team discussions. The characteristics and training required are discussed. in Appendix 5. {n addition to the study leader itis sometimes desirable to have a further supporting member of the team to make a note of the hazards as they are detected, The person is known as tha study ‘secretary’ or ‘scribe’. It may appear extravagant to employ two people in a supporting role. However, experiones tes that this airangement greatly incroases the rate of working of the team asa wholo. It is better to employ seven poopie for two days rather than six people for four days on a given study, The training of secretaries is also discussed in Appendix 5. The attitude of team members | is imperative that the team as a whole should have a positive and constructive 9attitude to a study as its success ultimately depends upon tha imaginative thinking of the members. ‘This positive attitude must be built up from the definition stage onwards. Suitable training is @ great help and should create a climate in which the team members aro anxious to start the study. At times during the examination sessions, somo team members feel the approach is tedious but a well-led team ultimately derives Considerable satisfaction from its design work receiving such a thorough analysis. 3.3 Preparative work ‘The amount of preperative work requited depends upon the size end comple: of tho plant. In the simplest case, a group of people can work together for a couple of hours on a simple flowsheet end complete a study. In general, rather more preparation is required, Tho preparative work consists of for stages Obtain the data ii Convert the data into a suitable form : iii Plan the sequence for the study iv Arrange the necessary meatings Typically, the data consists of various drawings in the form of line diagrams, flowsheets, plant layouts, isometrics and fabrication drawings. Additionally there ‘can be operating instructions, instrument sequence control charts, logic diagrams and computer programmes. Occasionally there are plant manuals and equipment ‘manufacturers’ manuals. The data must be inspected to make sure it is sufficiently comprehensive to cover the defined area of study and any discrepancies or ambiguities in the data must be resolved. The amount of work required to convert the data into a suitable form and plan the sequence for the study varies with the type of plant. continuous plants the preparative work is minimal. The existing tlowsheets ipe and instrument diagrams contain sufficient information for the study and it is merely necessary to sea that there are enough copies of each drawing available. Likewise the sequence for the study is straightforward. The study team starts at the beginning of the process and progressively works downstream. A list of typical plants of this type together with a worked example of part of a study aro shown in Appendix 1. In view of the relative simplicity of the study of continuous processes, most of this section and the greater weight of material in the worked examples (seo Appendices 2 and 3) are devoted to the more complex situations found in batch operations, With batch plants the preparative work is usually more extensive. In addition to drawings which describe the plant itself, it is necessary to know the sequence of plant operations. This can be in a voriety of forms—for exemple running instruc tions, logic diagrams or instrument sequence diagrams. In some circumstances (eg when more than one batch of material is being processed at the same time) it may be necessary to propare a display indicating the status of each vessel on @ time Dasis. Again, operators may be physically involved in the process (eg In charging voss0l) as opposed to simply controling the process and their activites will need to be represented by means of flow process charts, ‘Somotimes it will not be possible to start at the beginning of a flowsheet and work downstream. Instead the team will start with the first operating instruction and apply the guide words to it (or to pert of it) and refer to the fine diagram, flow Process charts, etc. The study leader will usually prepare a plan for the séquence 10of study before the study starts. A list of typical plants of this type together with a simplified example is given in Appendix 2 preparative ation tse Once the data has been assembled and the model made (if necessary) the study leader is in a position to start to arrange meetings. The first rea ment Cstimate the team-hours needed for tho study. This can be built up Ins nus Pi wrays, As a goneral rule each individual part to be studied, eg each main piseinng inte 2, yossel, will take an average of fifteen minutes team time, The’ sample example shown in Figure 1 should take one and a half hours made ‘up of fiftes minutes each for the two inlets, two exits, the vent and the vescal feel Having anived at an estimate of the team hours required, the study leader (or Secretary) can consider arranging meetings. Ideally the duration of examination Pegins to fall off. Under extreme time-pressures, examination sessions Reve cs jeld for two consecutive days but such @ programme should be temated only in very exceptional circumstances, {Gtally there should be not more than two sessions per week to allow for the follow-up work described in Section 3.5. This might give tise to difficulties whe, individual members of the team have to travel to the meeting place, Examination sessions should be arranged to be carried out in rooms which are {tee from distractions and with plenty of table space for flowshests, charts ate Wah large capital projects, it Is often found thet one team cannot carry out all {he stuclies within the time constraints imposed. It may therefore ba necessary to se a multiplicity of teams and team leaders. One of the team leaders should ten 2ck as @ co-ordinator and allocate sections of the design to differant teams ond repare time schedules for the study 2s a whole, 3.4 Tho examination In practice : The principles have already been descrit ed in Section 2 and the purpose of this ‘chapter is to add practical advice on how these principles are put Interaticcs ; 1" a ied FTE. tr ASRExamination sessions ere highly structured with the study leader controlling the discussion by following his predetermined plan, If the approach is based on the flowsheet he selects tho first vessel and asks the team to explain its broad function, Ho selects the pipelino or other element of the design and asks the team to make {ts purpose explicit. This is not always straightforward but until every member of the team knows exactly what something is supposed to do, deviations cannot be ‘generated. A similar approach is used if the study sequence is based on operating instructions, The study leader then applies the first guide word and the team discussion starts, It is sometimes necessary, particularly with an inexperienced team, for tho study leader to stimulate the team discussion by asking further questions such es “Can tho flow stop?’ or ‘Does it matter if it stops?” As far as possible only probing questions should be asked by the study leader. The team should not only provide the technical answers but be encouraged to be creative and think of all the deviations and hazards themselves, Hl As hazards are detected the study leader should make sure everyone understands them. As mentioned earlier, the degree of problem-solving during the examination sessions can vary. There are two extreme positions iA solution is found for each hazard as it is detected before looking for the next hazard fi No search for solutions is started until all hazards have been detected In practice there is a compromise. It may not be appropriate or even possible for 2 team to find a solution during a meeting. On the other hand, if the solution is sttightforward and local, a decision can be token and the design and operating instruction modified immediately. To some extent, the ability to take instant decisions depends upon the type of plant being studied. With a continuous 2 decision taken at one point in a design may not invalidate previous decisions concerning parts of the plant upstream which have already been studied, But this Possibility always has to be considered, For batch plants with sequence control, Any alteration to the design or mode of operation could have extensive implications. If a question is noted for future evaluation, @ note is also made of the person ominated to follow it up. The study leader should sum up at the end of the team discussion before starting with the next guide word. However, he must maintain sufficient pace to avold tho team becoming bored and olso he must keep as far 2s possible to an egreed timetable, To this end it may be necessary to terminate ‘an erudite. discussion between two experts by suggesting the point of disagreement be noted and tesolved outside the meeting. Although the study leader will heve prepared for the study, the technique is very Penetrating and may expose gaps in the model or in the knowledge of the tears members. It may sometimes be necessary to elaborate on some aspects during {he meating or even postpone certain parts of the study in order to obtain more information, Once. a section of pipeline oF a vessel of an operating instruction has been fully examined, the study leader should mark his copy to this effect. This ensures Gomprohensive coverage. Another way of doing this is that once every part of @ drawing has been examined, the study leader sertfies that Gre wen Ni on been completed in en appropriate box in the flowsheet. . 12It has already been mentioned that sometimes a study secretary is used as well a5 a study leader. Secretaries are frequontly employed in either of the following circumstances When the examination must be carried out very quickly because of time pressures on members of the team ji. The study is complex and the leader must guide the team using a number of sources of information simultaneously, eg @ combination of Hlowsheets, opera: ting instructions, sequence control charts and bar-charts. The use of a secretary enables the leader to concentrate on directing the study 3.5 Follow-up work The follow-up to the exemination sessions is generally straightforward. If decisions have been taken concerning changes in design or operating methods, thes must ba communicated to those responsible. Any outstanding gaoblems must be tesolved by obtaining more information followed by action and there must be some form of progress-chasing. Sometimes the output from examination sessions consists largely or exclusively ‘of questions to be answered later. A list of these may be compiled by the study leader (or secrotaty) and circulated to the team members. After an interval the team reconvenes in what are called “Evalustion and action sessions’. At these, each question is reviewed, progress is noted and where possible, decisions taken, ‘One evaluation and action session can usually deal with the output of two of three examination sessions. Once a hazard has been discovered, the kind of action neededd to provide a safe system will usually be agreed quite quickly because in many cases there is an obvious remedy to hand. However in some cases it will became apparent that there are a number of possible actions and the team may have: some difficulty in agreeing which js the most effective course to take, Actions to contain hazards are generally of four kinds i Acchenge in the process (recipe, materials, etc) fi_ A change in process conditions (pressure, temperature, etc) An alteration to the physical design iv A change of operating method {tis important to consider @ wide range of possible actions and not to except that every hazard ean and should be contained merely by amv alteration to the physical design, When choosing between a number of possible actions it may be useful to put them into two categories i Those actions which remove the cause of the hazard ii_ Those actions which reduce the consequences In general it is better and more effective to remove the hazard and provided the ‘study is carried out at the design stage this can usually be dome without undue expenditure (see also Section 4.1). If there is no reasonable prospect of remo 1g the hazard the team will have to consider what can be done to protect people and plant if the accident takes placa. To illustrate the kind of reasoning which may be applied, cansider 9 reaction vessel where in an examination session it was discovered that @ an impurity was to be introduced with one of the raw materiais, there might be @ sudden evolution ‘of gas and pressure would develop in the vessel, Let us assume that the hazard might be contained by taking one of three actions i Eliminating the possibility of gas evolution by changing the raw mater responsible for the problemsaa ii Eliminating the possibility of gas evolution by altering one of the process conditions 7 ili Fitting an appropriate pressure relief and vent system to protect the plant Solution i will be 100% effective and should be the first choice, Solution ii has to be considered with cara, because its adequacy will depend on the reliability of the control system which governs the process condition. Solution ii is only adequate if the vent system can be design u dt 10 cope with tha gas evolution and the retiability of such a system is acceptable Hazard Analysis is one technique for éeciding on the course of action when a number of possibilities have to be cons:dered. A discussion of this technique is outside the scope of this book and Re‘srences 2 to 7 give further information, However, it should be emphasised that evaluated risks are only es convincing as the information which is used in their catculation. The results are a statistical risk to life or propery and should be accepted only as 2 guide to indicate whether action should be taken and which couse of action is likely to be most effective for the expenditura involved. When it has been decided to alter @ design, operating method ete, itis often necessary to subject the new design int2ntion to a second round of examination to make sure that the change has not introduced a new and unsuspected hazard. Finally it must be emphasised that follow-up work is not complete until all the acknowledged hazards have been dealt with by implementation of all the agreed actions. 3.6 Recording An important activity of the study team is to record the results of the study. One useful form of record is a ‘Hezard file’. Th’s contains, iA copy of the data (flowsheets, running instructions, bat charts, models, ete) used by the team during the examination sessions and marked by the study leader to the effect that they have been examined Wi A copy of all the working papers, questions, recommendations, redesigns, etc produced by tha team and others as a result of the study The file should be retained on the plant so that it is 8 source of information if changes are subsequently contemplated by the operating personnel. In addition, the results of a study may also be the subject of a specially prepared report. This is usual if the study includes a quantification of particular risks, Reports can also be written for the guidarsce of managers or other practitioners if 2 study has some interesting or unique features, The formal recording of the study may im future have furthar implications. For example, insurance premiums may be affected or planning permission may bo assisted by evidence of a woll-conducted study. Finally, the information generated by studies can be used to improve future designs. 4 THE PROGRAMMING OF STUDIES Until now, the Hazard and Operebility Study procedure has been discussed on its ‘own and not in relationship to capital projects asa whole. By far the best time to carry out a study is at the ‘design freeze" stage, ie when the design is fairly firm. At this stage sufficient detail has been formally given to the design intention to. 4 AUS Aneel MORALNER ari Capen ans nt ne naa Ra AOR NRCallow the essentially questioning mechanism of Hazard and Operability Studies to obtain meaningful answers. At the same time it is possible to change the plant design without incurring unnecessary expense, Atiompts to carry out a proper Hazard and Operability Study at an early stage— before the design is fully defined—wil result in failure because insuttic: ant detail will be available, However a supplementary ‘check list’ approach can be used at a very earty stage in a project, atthe ‘project definition’ stage, when the main design parameters end layouts are being decided but before the detailed design com- ences. This approach is described in Section 4.1. Hozard and Operability Studies can be carried out when construction hos been largely completed but before start up. Studies at this stage are panicularty usotul as 2 check on operating instructions. However, the correction of design faults at this stage can be expensive and will i2ad to delays. Studies can also be carried out on existing plant. The main benefit is again to improve cperating methods. 4.1. Early checking for major hazards It is highly desirable to look for major hezards~including the potentiab for dis- astrous interactions between plants—at a very early stage in the develoament of a project. A technique for doing such a check, although not strictly speaking @ Hazerd and Operability Study, is included in this guide because if it has been used it will considerably facilitate a full Hazard and Operability Study when this, is subsequently cariied out at the ‘design-freaze’ stage. A basic requirement is to identify the major hazards. Once these ere known, it is possible to make certain fundamental decisions such as i Where the plant will be sited ii What should be the location of the plant within tha site with respect to the site boundaries, other plants, etc lii What panicular aspects of design will require special devetopment in order to contain the hazards iv What further research is required to obtain the information (toxicity, Samma- bility, etc) needed to produce an effective design The identification of major hazards can be done quite easily once certain general parameters ara established. These are i Materials = —Raw materials —Intermediates —Products —Effiuents ii Unit operations—Mixing —Distillation —Drying ete ili Layout —Asrangement between unit operations within the plant —Space relationships with other facilities ‘Theso general parameters should then be considered in turn when a check-list of potential hazerds are applied to them. A useful check-list for most chemical plants is the following Fire Noise Explosion Vibration Detonation Noxious material Toxicity Electrocution Corrosion Asphyxi Radiation Mechanical foilure 18Other hazards can of course be added for particular kinds of processes. When the potential hazards are in tum applied to the general parameters any meaningful combination may indicate a major hazard and these should then be considered against the list of fundamental decisions. A few examples will illustrate the procedure ‘A meaningful combination of INTERMEDIATE X and FIRE may exposa that flammability limits are unknown and must be obtained before a dryer can be properly designed ‘A meaningful combination of EFFLUENT GAS and TOXICITY will lead to a reconsideration of the siting and of effluent gas treatment. ‘A meaningful combination of RAW MATERIAL, FIRE and LIQUID NITROGEN STORAGE will lead to reconsideration of layout in the storage area. The procedure which has been outlined can be carried out by a small group of experienced people very quickly. ‘This check-list approach helps to ensura compatibility at an early stage and it can be used to assess plant to plant and plant to environment interactions. ‘The check for major hazards should be used when there is sufficient time to make major and fundamental alterations to the design concept. When a more detailed Hazard and Operability Study is carried out at a later stage it should then detect ‘only minor hazards which will eequire only minor redesign or alteration to operating methods in order to contain them, 4.2. Studies at ‘design freeze’ ‘This is the most convenient time for a Hazard and Operability Study. The drawings are, by definition, accurate. The design staff will then know why the plant has been designed in a particular way. If a substantially modified flowsheet is produced for each session, the team will find it difficult to know whether any particular section has been studied in its final form. However, it is possible to carry out a study of proprietary items of equipment at any time, even before a decision is taken to purchase, because the design will already have been established by the manufacturer. Simifarly it is possible to carry out a study of sections of plant, the designs of which are established and detailed in advance of others. Cara should be taken however to review these later to ensure that interactions with other sections of plant have not introduced new hazards. 4.3. Studies pre start-up It is possible to carry out a study when construction is substantially complete and the preliminary operating instructions have been written. If @ full study has been carried out at “design freeze’ and if the person who will prepare the operating instructions was a member of the study team, it should not be necessary to carry out a further study at this stage. However, under the following conditions it can be useful i. There has been a substantial change of intent at a very late stage Ji_The operating instructions are very critical The new plant is a copy of an existing plant with mainly process changes rather than equipment changes {t will be necessary to make sure that the line diagrams accurately describe the plant as built. 16teenaged 4.4 Studies on existing plants While emphasis will continue to be placed om new plants there should also be an understanding of the hazard potential of existing plants. The laiter can continu in operation for many years and can be modified or debotilenecked several times during this life. Unless such modifications have been very carefully handled thoy Could have compromised the safety margins or safety concepts built into the original plant design, Resources aro bound to be limited and therefore some method is required whereby existing plants can be selected for study. Selection may result from an emotional reaction to some recent incident on that or similar plant. While such a reaction is understandable, it does not necessarily mean that limited resources are being directed to the study of plants with the greatest overall hazard. Therefore it 1s Suggested that a number of factors might be taken into account such as iA safety audit has shown that a more detailed study is desirable ii, Abnormal occurrences or accidents have taken place lil A ranking procedure such as the Dow Index has shown that this plant has @ high potential for hazards iv The plant will remain in service for a long time v_ The plant has been extensively modified vi It is convenient to study @ particular plant in sequence with respect to other interacting plants, When making arrangements for a study on existing plant, extra time must be allowed for preparative work since line diagrams and operating instructions are often found to be out of date, Even more care than usual is required at the definition stage. The team wilt Produce recommendations and some of these might require significant changes being made to the plant. It is important to be quite clear who will be responsible for acting on these recommendations. Also, it will be necessary to install vigorous follow-up and progress-chasing procedure. This normally exists with a new capital project but may not exist to the same extent when modifications are being carried out on an existing plant. 75 GLOSSARY OF TERMS HAZARD AND OPERABILITY STUDIES. STUDY DEFINITION DESIGN AND OPERATING INTENTIONS, MODEL FLOW-PROCESS CHART DEVIATION HAZARD STUDY TEAM EXAMINATION SESSIONS GUIDE WORDS, ‘TEAM DISCUSSION 18 The application of a formal systematic critical examination to the process and engineering intentions of new or existing facilities to assess. the hazard potential of mal-operation or mal- function of individual iteins of equipment and their consequential effects on the facility as @ whole, A statement of the object and scope of a study. ‘The way the process and equipment is intended to work under both normal and anticipated abnormal conditions. A topresontation of these intentions in a form suitable for study by the technique. In the majority of cases conventional drawings, ete, are adequate and no special representation is necessary. A chart setting out the sequence of a flow of activities using symbols such as ASME standards, ‘A departure from the design and operating intention. A deviation which could cause damage, injury fr other form of loss. A small group of people (normally three to six) ‘who carry out the study. Periods of time (usually about three hours) in Which the study team systematically analyses the design to detect hazards. During examination sessions the study team tries to visualise all possible deviations from ‘every design and operating intention. Broadly speaking, there are seven kinds of deviation, of’ which can be associated with a istinctive word or phrase. Collectively, these are called ‘guide words’ because when used in association with @ design and operating in- tention they guide and stimulate creative think- ing towards appropriate deviations. That part of an examination session which follows the application of a guide word to @ design intention and during which the members derive meaningful deviations, deci whether these are hazardous and what action should be taken as a consequence.ee EVALUATION AND ACTION SESSIONS. TECHNICAL TEAM MEMBERS TEAM LEADER STUDY SECRETARY Under certain circumstances, It is inappropriate to take firm decisions during examination sessions and instead, a series of questions are posed for subsequent evaluation, Under these circumstances further meetings are held in which each question is reviewed, the results of any investigation are reported and decisions taken. Those members of a study tearm whose main contribution consists of explaining the design, using their knowledge, experiance and imagi- nation during team discussion and taking decisions on changes. A person trained in the methodology of Hazard and Operability Studies who will advise and assist the study in general and in particular, use the guide words, stimulate the team discussion and’ ensure comprehensive coverage during examination sessions. in tha absence of a study secretary (see below) he will also note actions or questions which arise during these sessions. This is an optional role. He helps organise the various meetings, takes notes during the ex. ‘amination sessions and circulates the resultant lists of actions or questions.‘eye 20 6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ‘This guide is based on a report by Mr R. E. Knowlton and Or D. K. Shipley of ICI Pharmaceuticals Division. Helpful comment from practitioners of Hazard and Orerability Studies in other parts of ICI were also taken into account and permission touse Dr H.G. Lawley’s example from Chem. Eng, Prog., April 1974, in Appendix 1 is gratefully acknowledged. The guide was edited for general industry use by representatives of BP Chemicals Lid The Chemical Industries Association Ltd ICi Central Safety Department Shell Chemicals (UK) Ltd 7 “REFERENCES 1 Lawley, H. G., Operability Studies and Mazerd Analysis, Chem. Eng. Prog., Apiii 1974, 2. Farmer, F. R., 1. Chem. £. Symposium Series No. 34, Major Loss Prevention in the Process industries, 1971, p, 82. 3. Stewart, R. M, 1. Chem. E. Symposium Series No. 34, Major Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, 1971, p. 99. 4 Houston, D. E. L,, |. Chem. E. Symposium Series No. 34, Major Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, 1971, p. 210, 5 Bullock, B. C., The development and application of quantitative risk criteria for chemical processes, Fifth Chemical Process Hazard Symposium, 1. Chem. E., Manchester, April 1974, 6 Kletz, T. A., Hazard Analysis—A Quantitative Approach to Safety, |. Chem. E. ‘Symposium Series No. 34, 1971, Melinek, S. J., Methods of determining the optimum level of safety expendi- ture, Building Research Establishment Curent Paper, CP88/74. Raybould, E. B., and Minter, A. L., Problem Solving for Management. London, ‘Management Publications, 1971, pp. 86-90. Nadler, G., Work Design, Homewood (Iilinois), Irwin, 1983, Whitmore, D. A., Work Study and Related Management Services. London, Heinemann, 1968, p. 183. So wm ~ | | | |APPENDIX1 Une original development of the method based on plant flowsheets occurred Urban the technique was aopliee to large, continuous, single-atream alone eed the technique has been widely used in this application Tre following are typical of continwaus plants which have been studied Methanol plants Ammonia plants Petrachemical plants Chlorine plants Soda-Ash plants Re PPoPgmPle of the use of the technique for identifying inadequacies in design and for drawing attention to important operating requirements in the cose aire gTiguees Process, @ synopsis of pavt of a paper by H. G. Lawioy (Reference 1) is given below, The system considered is the feed section of a proposed olefin dimerisat the preliminary design being os shown in Figure 3 and the process dese as follows unit, iption is Fable 3 summarises the results for the fist line section trom intermediate storage Up to the buffer tank and atso indicates the manner in which tha need for seen was recognised. {tg Imperative to ensuro that before starting an examination, the design intention is clearly defined, in the particular case given in this example the meron To transfer aikene/alkane traction of @ specified composition trom intermediate Storage fo the feed buffer/settling tank at a specified rate and temperature ond ag shown in Figure 3. 24scone c Ty t. ANVId NOLAYSIUIWIO NIZITO G35 “Ud JO NOULDAS C334 Combes Oo g 8ver umes. 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WON NloIL935 BNI 40 SLINS3U *SLINN NoLLYSI¥ZWIG NIJII0 dasOdOud 4O-AGMAS ALTevEGGS ZA1GEL we“gunssaud S$37 20 3Sy3NgE 10 LoREIeP:sUOD WOH IUEpIAO OFOM SPHETEY ON GN 195 UO 1U9A*N OY. 3 peGind 10 pourerp ‘Aypreydwwos’ oq 10uUeD UT BONYNBINIVN ug 0 wyauls NI SaNaXIV wo SINVNTY ¥3MOT 30 NOMWYININOD HOIH | | | 21 0} Burssed aseyd 291M wyaus NI cours paseerouy “Apo NOIWYIN3ONOD ‘row dn sith uns. s91eR BLM HOIH young pue duns “aseq > ANaszud salov JINVSUO soyemey ys09 sown (04) aunAVUadW3L SS31 uryea) ue paxuerg roy gas ruooefpe $30] TeUBIe upreor (6) Mow Ss31 an quer Buim9s pue a @) | saysuen UP omnssaid soyOnH sunivuadwal 9OW (prv0>) 10% wonened PuoM ePID ponnbou wonmy i zg & oOw APPENDIX 2 Application to a batch plant Many of the mote specialised materials produced by the chemical industry 2a made in plants which are partially or completely batch operations. The following list gives typical products made by batch processes General organic intermediates Dyestuifs Speciality chemicals such as antioxidants Bulk drugs Fermentation products Some polymers ‘Avnumber of ‘formuleted products’ are made by batch processes including Pharmaceuticals Paints Catalysts Photographic emulsions Cosmetics Specialised formulations The general characteristics of batch plants as compared with continuous plants are as follows i By definition, the status of the various parts of the plant are changing cyclically with respect to time and therefore a line diagram alone gives a very incomplete picture ii The processes are usually multistage, the individual units multipurpose and the plant 28 a whole multiproduct. Therefore there is @ large number of possible interconnections between units iii The operators may take part physically in some of the process activities such as removing product from filters ‘As an exemple of the application of the technique to @ batch process, consider ‘the hypothetical plant shown in Figure 4. This shows a plant consisting of two measure vessels, four reaction vessels, a condenser, an absorption tower with its: circulation system and a nutsche filter with its filtrate receiver. This plant is typical, although it has been simplified with the omission of most of the connections to Vessels, vents, inert gas inlets, bursting discs, stirers, heating and cooling supplies to jackets, etc. In addition to the flowsheet, operating instructions will have been. prepared. ‘Typically these consist of tables containing the operation number, a description of the operation, the precautions to be taken and finally @ column for the operator to initial once the operation has been completed. A typical layout of operating insteuctions concerning this hypothetical example is shown in Table 3. It may be desirable to prepare a bar-chart which shows the status of each piece ‘of equipment throughout a complete batch cycle. For instance, in this example, while batch 1 is being filtered, batch 2 could be reacting in vessel 3, with batch 3 being transferred from vessel 1 to vessel 2 and the measure vessels being filled in preparation for batch 4. These bar-charts are usually produced by the plant management. Finally, it may be necessary to flow-chart the operators’ movements, This aspect will be dealt with in detail in Appendix 3. As part of the preparative work the study leader should prepare (at feast mentally) and plan a programme for the study. His first decision must be whether to studythe plant in a sequence derived from the flowshest or the sequence of the ‘operating instructions. Let us suppose he has decided to use the sequence of operating instructions. Tha. early instructions will be concerned with a number of preparative activities, starting stirrers and turning cooling water on, checking vessels and starting the absorption tower circulation etc, so let us start this example with Instruction 23 (Table 3) which states ‘Charge 100 I of material C from the drum to the general purpose measure vessel using the air ejector’ While this instruction is perfectly odequate for operational purooses with a trained operator it is 100 complex to be used to generate deviations. The study leader should decide how to tackle exch instruction either as part of his preparation or duting the actual examination sessions. In this instance, the instruction can be split into a part dealing with the air ejector and the rest dealing with the liquid transfor. The study leader will ask a member of the team to describe the purpose of the air ejector. The purpose could be stated as ‘Remove some air from the measure vessel’. The guide words ara applied to this statement and the attention of the team is directed to the measure vessol and its attachments with the results shown in Table 4, The second part of Instruction 23 will then be ‘Charge 100 I of material C to measure vessel" and this instruction can be used as it stands. The guide words are applied to it with the results shown in Table 5. The team may carry out some quick problem-solving. For exemple, a number of the identified hazards can be removed by substituting in Instruction 23 the final Phrase ‘using residual vacuum’ and this alteration could be egreed by the team at this point. The instruction is marked as having been examined. Tho team would then proceed to Instruction 24 which reads ‘Transfer 100 | of material C from the general purpose measure vessel to vessel 1 via the orifice plate’. Whilo this instruction is sufficiently simplo for it to be examined without breaking it up into parts, it is not entirely explicit. The study leader would ask a member of the team to make the exact intention clear. The aim could be to supply C at a restricted rate to avoid an excessive reaction. Th examination then starts with the results shown in Table 8, Again the team may carry out some problem-solving. For example, it could decide to install another dedicated measure vessel complete with orifice plate for material € and thus avoid some of the hazards. Provided this could be cerried out simply, the drawing and the instructions would be modified and checked on the spot. If however there were any complications—for example, coupling two measure Table 3 TYPICAL FORMAT FOR OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS No | Operation | Precautions Initials 33 | Chavgo 10011 of mater 6 tom the | drut the gavel pose mesos este using a loser Westar fd hood PVE gloves | tn soon Ensure flow is solely via the covitica plate ‘Transfer 100 | of material C from the | general purpose measure vessel to | vessel f via the orifice plate 24 26Figure 4 A SIMPLIFIED BATCH PLANT rome Tap vent ow ¢ Out Genera Prpose 6 | Saar g Mosel 3 ana an thaseue q Blac Wesel $ eee ea ow rum en Absorption an Sow esl Jo vacuum Fiat Racaner To evant Bipos ray ome Oo‘Table4 DEVIATIONS FROM ‘REMOVE SOME AIR FROM THE MEASURE VESSEL’ Deviations Causes [Consequences DONT REMOVE AIR | Peoeees inconvenience bot mo hate FEUOVE MOREA | Gengiy acne mse | Gane snd Onc weer TEIGVE LESS AIA | Insulfclentsuckvowanstercon- | Process inconvenience but no toate of dum | feewd fas waLt as Pull droplets of material ¢ or | Fie haan? REMove AIR ther matte from arums or | Stoic hacer? Messla ord slong exhoustlne | Gorrosion haved? Stockeg tara wap? Wat matena boa hazard ok leaving the flame’ tap? Where does go? REMOVE PART OF | Remove oxygen or nitagen AIR ‘only: not possible REVERSE REMOVAL | If lino from air ejector is blocked | ‘Over-pressure vessel? OF AIR compressed ait will flow into | Blow ait into drums and spray out ‘measure vessel contents? Put air into vessels 1 of 42 ‘OTHER THAN Put air ejector on when measure | Spray contents along line and out REMOVE AIR. vessel full through flama trap. Similar hazards to AS WELL AS, vessels to a single air ejector—the modifications may well have to be decided outside the examination sessions. Again the study leader would mark Instruction 24 as having been examined and proceed to Instruction 25. Although one purpose of a Hazard and Operability Study is to check the equipment for safety, itis also a check on procedures, particularly operating instructions. Tho technique finds ambiguities or obscurities in instructions and it helps to produca instructions at the correct level of detail. 28we sseoay Table § DEVIATIONS FROM ‘CHARGE 100 LITRES OF MATERIAL CTO MEASURE VESSEL’ Deviations Causes [ eonseg DONT CHARGE C | No material C available. | No hazards: | Vane shat | GHARGE WORE@ | Ghage © quantiy grater han | 1 vasata ovecied wih ett foot tuonning 6's pulled. nto a ejector with harards already ised im Table 4. ‘excess were put into the meaeune vessel, how could it be | temowed safely? GHARGE LESS © | Chargeacquantiytessthan 100) | No herard at this stage oe Possibly hazardous mixtures ASC thing ele in the vessel. List | preseat rristures whieh sre possibia CHARGE AS WELL | Obtain a mixture of Cand somo~ GHARGE PART | No meaning. Cis not mire | ore | Grewterols | REVERSE CHARGE OFC Flow from measure vessel to | Spillge of hazard CHARGE OTHER, THAN C esse! of corrosion of measure versed nn aea] ‘Table 6 DEVIATIONS FROM ‘TRANSFER 100 LITRES OF MATERIAL C FROM THE GENERAL PURPOSE MEASURE VESSEL TO VESSEL 1 AT A CON- TROLLED RATE Deviations Causes | Consequences: | Blocked tine, Shut valves. Pres- | Process inconvenience but Ao sure too high in vessel f | hazards DON'T TRANSFER C TRANSFER MORE C | Tionsfer more 0 Excess Cin vassel 1 List chemical consequences State whether vessel will overflow Stato where it will overflow to Franisren ucse ett [tame wa inc oo)-Et-Eiesenni one at om | ines ‘of locked pressure Lesve some © ia the general | State the next material to be put purpose measure vesse into € and consaquences of mix- ing with TRANSFER AS WELL | Contaminated C. List possible | Deter flfects of these ASC contaminants. A mixture of ait | contaminants, Consider the effect and C of aie in vessel 1 TRANSFER PART | Nomeaning orc REVERSE TRANSFER, OFC. {low of material from vessel 1 | State the consequences to the measure vessels possible if vessel 1 Is full and under presture OTHER THAN TRANSFER C Transfer wrong material. List what else could be present. Determine consequences. Find out from ‘Bar Chor what is in veseel 4 at this. staga and determine consequences of add- ing ¢ Transtar C to vessel & (WHERE ELSE?) 30 ieer APPENDIX 3 Application to a proprietary item of equipment Studies have been carried out on unit operations such as mixing, seperation, jescting, drying, distiliation, milling, tabletting, sterilisation packing, polyrnesisation, Gacking and blending, Often such operations are conducted in proprietary items Gfecuipment such as centrifuges and spray driers which may need to be studied fh depth both in terms of the principles of their operation and in their interaction With matenals, feclitios and other equipment. The technique can also be applied 10 service facilities such as boilers, incinerators and storage vessels. ‘As an example, let us consider the proprietary sterilisation autociava shown in Figura 5. Steritisation of stillage-loaded materials is achieved by treatment with steam humidified sterilising gas ina jacketted autoclave chamber under specified condi tons. Two entries are provided to the chamber—from the sterile and from the non-sterile working areas of the facility. Steam is admitted to the chamber via a let-down system and sterilising gas via 2 Yaporiser, The chamber may be evacuated via @ cooler either directly to drain Gr'via a luted sealed catchpot to a vent stack, Filtered atmospheric ait may bo Sdmizted via a non-return valve. A relief valve is fitted to the chamber which exhausts to the vent stack and may be by-passed by opening a vent vaive if itis fequizad to dump the contents to stack, Water is circulated through the jacket and heated indirectly by means of steam. Once the autoclave is charged end the doors closed, automatic sequence control takes over and programmes the process as shown in Figure 6. The machine itself Checks the progress of the process cycle, monitoring the status of the chamber Gnd auxiliaries, Certain checks (see Figure 6: Autochecks) contol progress in association with timers. In modelling this type of equipment, it must be borne in mind that doth the operator and the machine control the overall process between them and that the Gperator is physically involved in moving process materials. The latter activity is expressed in the form of a flow process chart (Figure 7) using mechod study ‘chatting symbols. A complete list of such symbols is shown in Figure 8. For this type of study a stage by stage plan for the examination would be appro- priate as shown in Table 7. The equivalent of Stages 1, 3 and 5 have already been Considered earlier in the guide. The purpose of this Appendix is to damonsirate the method of handling Stages 2 and 4, Stage 2: Autocycle of operations Following the general principle that when a plant's condition can vary with time, the model must describe this by linking the equipment and the design intention. In this case @ dot chart fulfils the requirement. Detailed knowledge of the equipment should be possessed by the examination team and the interrelation of components is described by the arrangement drawing Figure 5. Guide words are applied to the machine's in-built instructions for achieving each process step and each deviation must be followed until further progress is prevented by the controller. This may involve following a deviation through several (or indeed all) of the subsequent process steps looking via the arrangement drawing for afl consequences which could be hazardous. ‘This i demonstrated in Table 8 which shows the deviations arising from the programmed instruction HUMIDIFY AUTOCLAVE CHAMBER. 31 Ar RON eR: reve TTTNTT OSSETIA a aFigure § AUTOCLAVE ARRANGEMENT “=I ON gg Cire. Pomp fair Fiter}— £ SHE 1 3 8 Vent] vate Soe sis Lorded Sieges Seti feaecee| Boor i ; | ‘Stearn Trp Cooter “Jacket Heat 4. Exchanger [catehpot Seal Watar| ‘screen ¢ ae To Drain 32acta nes ns ROAR A ERLE BME 33 wwo era C) onson1 omen eet‘Table? PLAN FOR AUTOCLAVE EXAMINATION SESSIONS Stoge Description 1 ‘Scope and Features 1. Cheekctist approach |" Interactive, Looks at machine in ts content | Seeks ‘worst disaster situation 2 Autoclave eycle of operations | Uses saquence diagram in conjuneton with fine 1 ot ehan approash | diagram: Covers machine contol sapects and igure 8) j,_auo-convolted part of process Line-by-line approach | Complete process end service lines end autliaies and manually operated systems, (0 | Setined Battery tims, as shown In Figura 8 | Material handling ‘Covers operating instuctons for cherging and Flow chart approach lscharging of stilagas by fork it tuck (Figure 7) { % < Operating instwvetions approach | Completes operating insvuctons including achino start-up and shut-down and propara- on for maintenance Stage 4: Charging of autoclave A flow process chart (see Figure 7) is constructed for the charging of the autoclave. by manually operated fork lift truck, Charts of this kind may be drawn for any process using the standard symbols shown in Figure 8, and assistance with this technique can be obtained from a number of sources. (See References 8 to 10). Guide words are applied to each element of the chart as exemplified in Table 9 which considers possible deviations on the element STILLAGE ENTERED, FORKS EXTEND, ‘The scale of such charts can be varied as appropriate. 34Figura7 FLOW PROCESS CHART: CHARGING AUTOCLAVE start: Stillages Await Charging Finish: Stilages in Chamber Fork: Lift Truck to stilage Losded Stilages Await Charging Forks Extended Below Stillage Stilage Raised Stilage Located ‘on Forks Forks Retract (Prep. to Transport) Stilage to Chamber Door Stilage Elevated to Chamber Level Stillage Entered, Forks Extend tillage Released Forks Lowered Forks Retract Fork-Lift Truck Stilleges Raverses from Located. Chamber Monvally 35 hESC ROSNER EFT I i aeROFigure 8 EXPLANATION OF PROCESS CHART SYMBOLS (TAKEN FROM METHOD STUDY) SYMBOL, ACTIVITY fa) OPERATION (b) INSPECTION ) ) PREDOMINANT RESULT Produces, accomplishes, cham furthers the process O Verities quantity or quality O Moves or carries U ©) TRANSPORT > oe e STORAGE The above examples are those approved by the ASME (American Soci Mechanical Engineers) Interferes or delays Holds, retains or stores < 36Table8 DEVIATIONS FROM 'HUMIDIFY AUTOCLAVE CHAMBER’ ee Deviations DONT H HUMIDIFY | Allsteam to vaporiser, | Mone HUMIDIFY As WELL AS HUMIOIFY. PART OF HUMIOIFY REVERSE HUMIDIFY OTHER THAN HUMIDIFY HUMIDIEY | Mirae CC Causes, Valve 8 not open. LD vaive closed. ‘Steam line choked. Vent valve open. | | | inetd | | Teo much steem— LB valve failed open Too high steam pressure/temp | PEE EEEEEEEe Less HUMIDIFY | ___ |) Too litle steam, too low steam | peessure/temp | Contaminants in steam eg COy \ ‘condensation, air, rust, 6. ‘Stetlising gas (valve A passing) | 1 pic (valve © pessing) | Contaminants trom vent stack jane valve passing) | Plant etmasphero (door seals | teaking) ‘Vacuum pump fails ‘Steam in but loss of vac. pump. {or valve D closes) Vacuum, but no steam in ‘Vacuum drying fying stop, Sterlise by omission of humidie Consequences i rvove”ervrs Hozerd to product—steiising gas not eifective dey Could chamber be overpressured? Ig RV sized for full bore ingress of steam to chamber? Is product temp/pressure sensitive? Effect of high temp and pressure on sealing components of auteclaves ©9 oor seals? Is condensationon product deleterious? Effect on product? Waste gas by evacuation. Ges into Pant sinosphero—ie. second WV auied? | Reduces tfectiveness of humidification Might induce geses fram other auto claves No hazard at tis stage, but could be Teak at setising ogo Contaminants fom dr cave in enter autor | ove ‘Chamber will be partly pressurised. ot, temperature too high. ed with water. Cycle wil continue and sterlising ges may rot enter due back pressure Cycle will continue: if lack of humicity {a not detected and action taken, toad will t be sterile to ‘No steam In, 23 above po Cyclo will continue—load will not be sterile (as above)Tosle® DEVIATIONS FROM “EXTEND FORK: ohktanen Deviations] Cease jek mechanism failed ont | Fen MORE | Bxend 100 far tess Extend insufficiently AS WELL AS | Raise forks i | Lowor forks | | Move tuck. PART OF | Too rapid operation REVERSE | Stilags does not disengage | trom forks | OTHER THAN | Procedural foults ‘S TO CHARGE STILLAGE INTO. Consequences Production stonped How is load recovered ? Loed collides with opposite door, Opposite door forced open oF damaged ‘Stenita area integrity lost Door may no longer se: leak of stefsing gas lator leading 10 Load insecure and falls back Load tapped berwean forks and chamber Chamber Humidity detector probe broken—loads 10 [eak of sterlising gas later Forks foul doot landing face end damage seal! Load insecure with forks extended Part of load shaken from stllage How are spilages dealt with? Matetial damaged—how is thie dealt with on sterile sis tater? ‘Load discharged—epillage? Load damaged ‘Wrong load to right autoclave Right toad to wrong eutociovea APPENDIX 4 How to start Hazard and Operability Studies Hazard and Operability Studies may be started in an organisation because ther Harare eo imorove safety, even though the currant performance may Dé good, ie ages JOcome. members of the organisation have read or heard about the technique and its benefits and want to try ‘The way in which # study is started will of course depend on the organisation but it usually follows one of four approaches ‘A Do-it-Yourself approach ‘The Evolutionary approach ‘The Educational approach A Crash programme. A Do-it-yourself approach ‘Aithough expert help is desirable and will reduce costs by speeding up the process at goining competence, itis not essential, The early pioneers had no export advico of gaining ootnie organisations have started to carry out Hazard and Onerabilty 2nd. at past a foundation much less firm than that now possessed by the reader, see Step ts to agres trial should be carried out and appoint a person to ect one i eee der for this tel. The person selected should preferably have a techn/cay Bag toad with production experience together with some knowledge of ‘method, study in general and critical exemination in particular. This person should meke himself very familiar with this booklet It is suggested That fe thon carries out a small exercise on his own in applying the technique te te ene ory simple such as 2 solvent storage vessel which is supplied by @ tanker. ‘Armed with this experiance he should, in discussion with management. select the Ferree eubject for a tral. The subject could be a project around “design freeze or an existing unit. He will then select the team in the usual way. |At this stage he will be in a position to arrange an appreciation training course Fe pee 200 pembers together with others who may be involved in later studies. The training could be built up from the following i. A general introduction including course objectives z |. § gener jes of examination with the tutor basing his talk on 2:1 then working through 2.2, followed by 2.3 He can then explain the det He could use his personal simple example) to provid fon in (say) groups of 4 aided by Table 1 nce as in Figure 2 ‘th the storage tank example (of other members would work ‘The study leader will then have a toam sufficiently trained to start a study 09.96 Ne cted topic, Progress is likely to be slow for the first few examination sessions selat both the leader and the toam start to feel at home with the technique. ‘The Evolutionary approach ‘The first step fe 10 gain the preliminary agreement of colleagues including the Tobey Scuiser. The next step sto arrange a proliminary meeting betwean colleagi s2fety erody tender, who has been engaged for an introductory study. The purposes of this meeting aro 7 To determine whether the technique cen be applied and to convince these involved that itis woth trying{i To select the project which should be studied as a try-out ii To determine the objectives of the study iv To obtain a time-estimate for the study v_ To select a team for the study vi To ensure there are sufficient resources available to provide the technical back- up for the team and to see that their decisions can be implemented There are a number of criteria for project selection but basically it should bo something which will not bo too time-consuming, be effective and have a fairly immediate impact. tn selecting a team for tho first study, thought should be given 10 the long-term implications of Hazard and Operability Studies. For example, is there a need to develop an in-house study leader? The next stage is to discuss the proposal with the team members and, together with the study leader, plan the steps in the procedure. The data available are reviewed and steps are taken to fill ny gaps. Tha rast of the study follows the basic procedure mentioned earlier. if the chosen. project {5 2 small one lasting say two or three team days, the study leader may remain in charga throughout, and this is the ideal, If the study is lengthy, then it may be worthwhile training an in-house study leadar to take over. Alter the first (hopefully successful) demonstration, the technique is gradually extended to cover the relevant parts of the organisation and become one of its standard procedures, ‘Tho Educational approach This is usually initiated by senior management and since the approach requires a significant commitment, particularly of management and training resources, it will have resulted from a policy decision to use the technique. Adopting this approach, it is advisable to carry out the following stops i Obtein the necessary training and experience to produce one or if necessary more study leaders ji Develop and present appreciation courses for senior and middle management 450 thet they can give their managerial support to the teams Develop and present suitable spprecistion and team-membership training courses for those who will actually carry out the studios More details of tho training courses are giver Appendix 5. The Crash programme ‘The approach is usually precipitated by the realisation, at board level, of a need for rapid action. ‘Tho approach is straightforward. Teams aro set up and study leaders aro obtained to train and lead the teams and to train other study leaders from within the ‘organisation. ‘The requirements for such a programme are i Recognition by all levels of management of the need ii Availability of the technique in a form appropriate to the problem ii Availability of experienced study leaders at short notice iv Availability of resources to ensure that follow-up actions are implemented 40APPENDIX § Training There aro four main kinds of training concerned with Hazard and Operebility Studies Senior management appreciation course Course for team members Study Leader taining Secretary training Hazard and Operability Studies can also be included in @ general management raining course. Senior manager training Courees should be presontod so that senior managers can have an understanding of the technique, an appreciation of ‘when it can be used with advantage and the: benefits to be obtained from it in terms, ‘of reduced hazard, improvement in methods end an improvement in the general competence of the operation. “This training should also deal with the human relationships aspect of studios, Its Treat t hava a ‘no rectimination’ policy if and when faults are detacted. On ee reative side, an opportunity is provided by studies for the professional development of staff. Such training should take about half a day. Team member training This training places greater emphasis on actually carrying out studies and par- ticularly on the examination stage. It ‘should be possible to complete this course ‘a period of from half a day to two days, depending upon the method of in- struction and the amount of practice the members are given. . ‘Thero can also be informal training for a team about to carry out a study if some sper, Canembers are unfamiliar with the tachnique. This is given by the study Pracior immediately prior to starting a study and takes one to three hours. ‘Study leader training Study leaders develop their ability to plan and control Hazard and Operabiity eye by combination of a wide range of technical and management sil por experience os team members and as team secretaries, succeeded By cone Fe aa studies themselves under the supervision of an experienced leader. Ideally, the study leader should have the following background and training i. Several years’ experiance in production as a line manager or engineer ji Experience in design i Experienc® {experience in problem solving ineluding training in method study and consultancy skills iv Extencive reading of the literature on the technique ¥_ Experience as a team member ji. Exporionce as a team secretary Experience a8 a trainee study leader under supervision Secretary training ‘The cocrstary must havo an appreciation of the technique, In addition, he must The Mansorte guidance on how to record succinctly, but in a way which cies oe evar sntifes the section of plant referred to, the nature of the hazard and the ‘circumstances in which it can occur. aAPPENDIX 6 The formalisation of Hazard and Operability Studies Appendices 4 and 5 hava indicated how to start Hazard and Operability Studies in an organisation and the kinds of training which should be provided, bur tase steps 279 only preliminaries. To obtain full benefit the ultimate sim shroud barge make the approach part of the ‘way of life’ within the organisation {t is difficult to lay down rules for the formalisation of the technique because organisations differ greatly in structure; the manner In which studios ae intrenecd could also influence the situation, Nevertheless, the following guidelines hove emerged as a result of experience. In parts of the chemical industry where Hazard and Operability Studies are most fully established, there are specialist groups providing overall leadership tn the technique. They contain skilled study leaders and provide training, advice and assistance in the application of the technique. They do some, but not necessary all, of the study leading. In addition, they develop the technique for new, wider oF more specialised applications. This group can bo part of a management serioce department, a safety department or that part of an engineering depariment which handles the capital programme. In addition to the specialist group, there will be trained study leaders who can assist on a part-time basis. All appropriate people concerned’ with plant design and operation should in time have some training and experience as team montene Although the technique may initially be introduced on an experimental or optional basis, it will tend to be deployed in an increasing number of projects, Ideally itt Growth should increase fo the oxtent that it becomes a natural part of th design Process, Formalisation at this stage will thon be seen as evidence of commitment at, say, board level, and should ensuro that the appropriate resources will be wate available to carry out tha studies and to implement the actions which ars produced, The formalisation usually takes the form of company instructions which cover the: following points |. The time in the development of a project at which a study should be carried out The criteria by which it is decided to study existing facilities iii The responsibility for initiating the studies iv The methods of reporting and recording of the information generated during a study. 42