Centerline, Vol. 20, No. 2 Summer 2016

Vol. 20 No. 2

SUMMER 2016

INSIDE

2. Director’s Corner

3. Student Feature

4. Alumni and Student

News

5. Visiting Scholars

6. RELLIS Campus

7. Recent Publications

8. Turbo Pump Short

Course

9. Outreach Activities

10. Case Histories and

Research

Presentations

17. Symposium Program

20. Sponsorship

Opportunities

21. Hazards 27

23. CE Calendar

Centerline Centerline

Early Registration ends September 30, 2016!

Program now available!

19th ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM Beyond Regulatory Compliance, Making Safety Second Nature

In Association with IChemE

The 2016 International Symposium will be held at

the College Station Hilton Conference Center on Oc-

tober 25-27, 2016. Ms. Susan Wang, Vice Chair of

the Board of the Taiwan-based Formosa Plastics

Group (FPG), will present the Frank P. Lees Memori-

al Lecture on the first day of the symposium. Formosa

is a global leader in petrochemicals, plastics and

many other industries. Founded in 1954, FPG has grown from what was then

the world’s smallest PVC production facility into a worldwide organization; the

group has annual revenues of more than $74 billion and over 103,000 employ-

ees. FPG also operates several prominent educational and medical institutions

in Taiwan.

Mr. John DeLeeuw, Pilot, American Airlines, will present the Keynote on the

second day. Mr. DeLeeuw was the Senior Manager of

Flight Safety at American Airlines (AA) for five years. Prior

to his management position at American Airlines, John was

the Deputy Chairman of the National Safety Committee at

the Allied Pilots Association (APA). John also currently

works with Ascend Coaching, who are involved in the oil

and gas industry, and uses a comprehensive approach to

improve safety, and therefore reliability.

Ms. Chris Elfring is Executive Director of the National

Academy of Science’s Gulf Research Program. Chris has a

long-standing interest in science policy and communicating

science to non-scientists. She has a geographic feature in

Antarctica, Elfring Peak, named in recognition of her polar

science work.

The third and final day of the symposium will feature a panel on Safety Culture

led by Mr. Mark Griffon, former member of the US Chemical Safety Board.

2 Centerline, Vol. 20, No. 2 Summer 2016

Director’s Corner

In the Fall 2015 issue of Centerline, I talked at length about the difference between “hazard” and “risk.” To summarize, when speaking about process safety, hazard is an inherent chemical or physical characteristic that has the potential for causing damage to people, property, or the environment. On the other hand, risk is a measure of human injury, environmental damage, or economic loss in terms of both the incident likelihood and the magnitude of the loss or injury (source: CCPS).

Recently, the Mary Kay O’Connor Process Safety Center conducted a study in which we used the Tier II reporting to index all the hazardous materials sites in the Houston area from the point of view of potential to cause harm to the public (PCHP). In other words, we created a hazard index to characterize the PCHP of each hazardous materials site in Houston. The Houston Chronicle published a series of articles based on our study. Our intent in conducting this study was to shed light on gaps in various safety issues identified time and time again in incident investigations of catastrophic incidents (e.g., West fertilizer incident, 2003; Tianjin fire and explosion, 2015). In fact, these gaps in safety issues can be traced as far back as the aftermath of the Bhopal incident in 1984. These gaps include:

lack of hazard awareness and use of hazard information in designing plants, plant layout and plant operating procedures

lack of land-use planning sharing hazard information with local emergency responders operational and effective local emergency planning committees competency in executing process safety activities.

As I said, the intent of conducting the above-mentioned PCHP study was to energize the discussion about the five issues identified above, and hopefully to engage in a multi-stakeholder dialogue about these issues with the ultimate objective being better risk management. The methodology used in the PCHP study is very robust for the purpose/objectives for which it was intended. It must be understood that the PCHP index is a hazard index and it does not speak to the risk from each of the facilities. A hazard index, as stated in the definition above, speaks to the potential to cause harm. It does not say anything about risk management and the extensive efforts directed at risk management by each of the facilities. Industry is doing a lot with regard to risk management, but we must also acknowledge that while some companies do very well with regard to risk management, some do not do well at all.

So, we hope that the PCHP study will raise the awareness level and stakeholder dialogue, which will lead to a level playing field and a quest for excellence in process safety by all facilities. We must keep in mind that the inherent properties of hazardous materials that make them hazardous are also the same inherent properties that make them useful for society (e.g., the examples of knife and gasoline given in Director’s Corner, Centerline, Fall 2015). Because of the benefits they bring to society, we have to live with hazards on a daily basis. The fundamental issue we as stakeholders must address is, “There are hazards that we must live with because of the benefits those hazards represent, but the real question is how do we manage the risks associated with those hazards.” The first step in that direction is to understand the difference between hazard and risk and the recognition that hazard does not mean risk. Only then we can engage in a serious discussion about the risk management programs to keep the risks from those hazards at a manageable level.

M. Sam Mannan

Summer 2016

3 Centerline, Vol. 20, No. 2 Summer 2016

Prerna Jain was recently selected for the Lawrence F. Guseman

Award for her outstanding contributions to the success and prosperi-

ty of the Graduate and Professional Student Council and the gradu-

ate student body. She also won second place for her research in the

engineering and architecture subject area during Student Research

Week 2016. Her research focuses on “Resilience Analysis Frame-

work for Process Design and Operations.”

Prerna is involved in multiple organizations, including the Women in

Engineering Program (WE), the Society of Women Engineers and

she serves as Chair of Multicultural and Diversity Committee for the Graduate and Professional Stu-

dent Council. She has also contributed toward establishment of the Texas A&M Energy Research

Society, for which she currently serves as vice president.

Prerna worked for about five years in the oil and gas industry for Reliance Industries Limited. “During

this time, I have worked as an environmental engineer and primarily as process safety and risk man-

ager,” she said. “I witnessed the significance of this industry and its products for society, and also

appreciate the fact that controlling and reducing the associated risk is so critical.”

That’s why Jain decided to return to Texas A&M for her graduate degree and work with Dr. Mannan,

director of the Mary Kay O’Connor Process Safety Center.

Adapted from an article by Kim Foil, TAMU Chemical Engineering

For full article, go to: http://engineering.tamu.edu/news/2016/07/14/graduate-student-awarded-for-

outstanding-contributions

Prerna Jain awarded for outstanding contributions

Qingsheng Wang Named Editor of Journal of

Safety, Health, and Environmental Research (STILLWATER, Okla., July 12, 2016) - Dr. Qingsheng Wang has been named as the new Editor of Journal of Safety, Health and Environmental Research(JSHER). Wang is Dale F. Janes Endowed Associate Professor of Fire Protection & Safety and Graduate Faculty of Chemical Engineering. His research work has primarily focused on fire protection and process safety engineering, including thermal analysis, flame retardants, fire sup-pression, emergency evacuation and quantitative risk analysis. He has served as an editorial board member of several journals, including Case Studies in Fire Safety.

The Journal of Safety, Health and Environmental Research is an online peer-reviewed journal publication by the American Society of Safety Engi-neers(ASSE). It consists of theoretical and empirical manuscripts, reviews and editorials devoted to a wide variety of safety, health and environmental (SH&E) issues and practices. JSHER is one of the premier sources of in-formation for both academics and practitioners concerned with SH&E, safety management, engineer-ing and legal/regulatory issues.

4 Centerline, Vol. 20, No. 2 Summer 2016

STUDENT AND ALUMNI NEWS

Dr. Jai P Gupta, Adjunct Professor at MKOPSC, has retired as Founder Director at Rajiv

Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology, Raebareli, India. Jai is spending a couple of

months this summer at National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, Taiwan.

Prerna Jain’s poster “Using resilience principles for prediction of loss of containment events

in batch operations” was presented at the 15th

International Symposium on Loss Prevention

and Safety Promotion in the Process Industries and accompanying exhibition, 5 - 8 June

2016, Konzerthaus Freiburg, German.

Pranav Kannan was awarded the Clark A. and Pauline Jones Matthews Scholarship. It is a

$1000 scholarship and Academic Excellence Award.

Nafiz Tamim’s paper “A Framework for Developing Leading Indicators for Offshore Drillwell

Blowout Incidents” was presented at Hazards 26.

May

June

July April

Visitors to the Center

April 14-15—Dr. Seungho Jung and

graduate students from Ajou University

May 9—Ascend Materials Safety Team in

regards to potential collaboration

June 23-July 10—Maria Papadaki from the

University of Patras

June 24 and August 19—Dr. Stewart Behie

from Occidental Oil & Gas, “Complex Decision

Analysis/Risk Based Decision Making”

July 11—Sylvie Tran, Natalie Salter, Tony

Paul, and Katie Floyd from Shell

August

August 22—Yoshihiko Sato from National

Institute of Occupational Safety and Health,

Japan

August 25—Liqiang Zhang, Shouyu Xu,

Haiwen Wang, Yi Liu, Haiqing Wang, Peng

Ren, Jing Li, Nianyun Shi, Liang Hong, and

Juan Wang from China University of

Petroleum

5 Centerline, Vol. 20, No. 2 Summer 2016

International Scholars Summer 2016

Visiting Interns

This summer we were pleased to welcome the following visitors to the Center. If you would like to

visit the Center, including laboratories and the Library, please contact us!

Priyanka Bansal

IIT Gandhinagar

Yujie Lin

China University

of Petroleum

Jing Li

Tshingua University

Nisha Rawat

IIT Gandhinagar

Mingguang Zhang

Nanjing Tech

University, Associate

Professor

Visiting Scholar

Ni Lei

Nanjing Tech

University

Harold Escobar

Universidad de los

Andes

Entao Yang

Tianjin University

Dandan Zhu

China University

of Petroleum

6 Centerline, Vol. 20, No. 2 Summer 2016

Chancellor Announces $150 Million Research Campus

John Sharp, Chancellor of The Texas A&M University System, unveiled plans to invest $150 million

to create a new research and development campus to help companies move ideas from the labora-

tory to the marketplace while also offering a new path toward a college degree. The campus, to be

located at a revamped and renamed Riverside Campus, initially will include a cluster of seven new

buildings and test beds to encourage the private sector to develop secure research facilities adja-

cent to the System’s site.

Details of the proposed $38 million education center are still being formalized and must be approved

by the Board of Regents and reviewed by state authorities.

“We must offer new, transformative business models whether we are moving our research from the

laboratories into the marketplace, or helping more students to achieve a college education,” said

Chancellor Sharp.

The site for the new campus is the former Bryan Air Base, a World War II facility that Texas A&M

University acquired in 1962, and today is called the Riverside Campus. In September 2015, the

2,000-acre tract was transferred to The Texas A&M System and will be named RELLIS Campus,

from an acronym for the Texas Aggies’ core values of respect, excellence, leadership, loyalty, integ-

rity and selfless service.

The initial $150 million investment includes $25 million to demolish 32 old buildings, rebuild roads

and update utilities. The base’s chapel and two hangars will be renovated in recognition of the site’s

role of training pilots for World War II.

M. Katherine Banks, Vice Chancellor and Dean of Engineering, said the facilities will be designed to

fit the private sector’s needs, from creating prototypes to testing.

“It will bridge the ‘valley of death’ between product development and the marketplace,” Dr. Banks

said.

She said all of the $150 million is committed, either from state appropriations or gifts from donors.

Dr. Banks said consultants are surveying the site and the $25 million in upgrades should be com-

pleted by the end of 2017. Construction on the first building could begin as early as September of

this year.

“This is not a pipe dream,” she said.

“It is going to happen.”

The three primary tenants at the

new campus are state agencies that

are part of the Texas A&M System:

The Texas A&M Transportation In-

stitute (TTI), the Texas A&M Engi-

neering Experiment Station (TEES)

and Texas A&M Engineering Exten-

sion Service (TEEX).

MKO new building (rendering)

PLACEHOLDER

7 Centerline, Vol. 20, No. 2 Summer 2016

The initial $125 million in new construction for the RELLIS Campus includes:

The $73 million Center for Infrastructure Renewal — authorized by the Texas Legislature — that

will develop new methods and better materials for the nation’s ailing infrastructure and train the pri-

vate sector in how to apply new techniques and materials.

A $12 million Advanced Research in Transportation Technology Building for research, design

and testing in the growing field of automated and connected vehicles.

A $12 million Cyber-Physical Research and Development Center that will be dedicated to robot-

ics, autonomous and connected vehicle technologies, and associated cyber-security facets.

A $9 million centralized office and research facility that will be constructed for TEES.

A $6 million Process Safety Center that will test and learn the safest methods to operate in large

chemical operations.

A $6 million Industrial Distribution Center that will investigate the best way to manufacture and

distribute products.

TEEX’s $7 million training facility, primarily for law enforcement.

For video and more information about RELLIS Campus, please go to

http://tti.tamu.edu/conferences/ttc16/media-resources.php

Adapted from an article first seen on Texas A&M Today

For full article, go to: http://today.tamu.edu/2016/05/02/chancellor-john-sharp-announces-150-million-research-

campus-and-education-center-at-former-bryan-air-base/

Recent Publications

1. Mannan, M.S., O. Reyes-Valdes*, P. Jain*, N. Tamim* and M. Ahammad*, “The Evolution of Process Safety: Current Status and Future Direction,” Annual Review of Chemical and Bio-molecular Engineering, vol. 7, June 2016, pp. 135-162.

2. Gopalaswami*, N., D.M. Laboureur, R.A. Mentzer and M.S. Mannan, “Quantification of Turbu-lence in Cryogenic Liquid Using High Speed Flow Visualization,” Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, vol. 42, July 2016, pp. 70-81.

3. Reyes-Valdes*, O.J., V. Casson-Moreno, S.P. Waldram, L.N. Vechot and M.S. Mannan, “Runaway Decomposition of Dicumyl Peroxide by Open Cell Adiabatic Testing at Different Ini-tial Conditions,” Process Safety and Environmental Protection, vol. 102, July 2016, pp. 251-26.

4. Benavides-Serrano*, A.J., M.S. Mannan and C.D. Laird, “Optimal Placement of Gas Detectors: A P-Median Formulation Considering Dynamic Nonuniform Unavailabilities,” AIChE Journal, Vol. 62, No. 8, August 2016, pp. 2728-2739.

5. Hong*, Y., H.J. Pasman, S. Sachdeva, A.S. Markowski and M.S. Mannan, “A Fuzzy Logic and Probabilistic Hybrid approach to Quantify the Uncertainty in Layer of Protection Analysis,” Jour-nal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, vol. 43, September 2016, pp. 10-17.

6. “Why Incidents Keep Happening?” Invited Keynote Speech at the 4th CCPS China Conference

on Process Safety, Qingdao, China, June 2-3, 2016. 7. “Lessons Learned From Recent Incidents and Upcoming Regulatory Initiatives,” paper presented

at the Texas Chemical Council 2016 Environmental, Health & Safety Seminar, June 6-9, 2016, Moody Gardens Hotel, Galveston, Texas.

8 Centerline, Vol. 20, No. 2 Summer 2016

MKOPSC Short Course at 45th Turbomachinery and 32nd

Pump Symposium

Short Course B1: Role of mechanical integrity program in design, installation and operation of tur-bomachinery pumps

Mechanical integrity (MI) is a critical element of process safety management (PSM) program. The high importance of turbomachinery equipment (e.g., pumps, compressors, turbines) handling haz-ardous materials in process industries requires the equipment to be included in a best-in-class me-chanical integrity program. The Ciniza Oil Refinery explosion at Giant Industries in Jamestown, New Mexico can be taken as an example where the lack of a good MI program lead to the incident which caused major asset loss and severe injuries to employees.

Many organizations of various sizes and shapes have severe shortcomings in the effective imple-mentation of mechanical integrity program as well as competency in executing the program. Cata-strophic incidents may arise at times due to such shortcomings. To address such issues, this course will cover importance of management responsibility, good engineering practices, competency, audit, procedure, documentation, and training programs. It will also talk about different techniques of haz-ard identification, risk based inspection and maintenance, and testing criteria pertinent to tur-bomachinery and pumps.

Who should attend:

Those interested in chemical process safety- engineers, technicians, operators, etc. This includes process engineers, maintenance reliability engineers, mechanical integrity engineers, design engi-neers, plant safety engineers; those involved in process safety management, risk management, ro-tating equipment, operations, as well as lead operators of chemical manufacturing units or petroleum refining units, maintenance foreman, and plant related manager.

This short course is presented through the Texas A&M University Mary Kay O’Connor Process Safe-ty Center in partnership with the TEES Turbomachinery Laboratory. For more on MKOPSC pro-grams, visit: http://process-safety.tamu.edu/

Instructor Bio:

Dr. Nancy Faulk is a Principal Engineer with Siemens, working primarily on pressure relief analysis and effluent handling systems training, guidelines, case studies, and workflows. She has 20 years of experience in process safety management, environmental regulations, and process engineering, in-cluding work at the Environmental Division of the Texas Engineering Experiment Station and Mobil Chemical. She has a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Texas A&M University.

Registration:

Symposia and short course only options are available.

$1350 Symposia & Short Course

Includes: A Short Course, Full Exhibit hall access and technical sessions (Lectures, Tutorials, Case Studies, Discussion Groups) Short courses will be held on Monday September 12

$750 Short course only Short courses will be held on Monday September 12

For registration information, go to http://tps.tamu.edu/register#attendeeRegistration

Article from Turbo Pump Symposia, http://tps.tamu.edu/program/turbo/turbo-short-courses/icalrepeat.detail/2016/09/12/418/-/short-course-b1-role-of-mechanical-integrity-program-in-design-installation-and-operation-of-turbomachinery-and-pumps

9 Centerline, Vol. 20, No. 2 Summer 2016

May 24-26, 2016 A Framework for Developing Leading Indicators for Offshore Drillwell Blowout Incidents Hazards 26 Edinburgh, UK Dr. Sam Mannan

May 24, 2016 The Future of Process Safety Hazards 26 Edinburgh, UK Dr. Sam Mannan, Hans Pasman, and Trish Kerin

May 30, 2016 Research Intern Opportunities at MKOPSC University of Bologna—International Program Graduate Students Valerie Green

May 30, 2016 Application of ISD Technology on Chemical Process Development Workshop SINOPEC Qingdao, China Dr. Sam Mannan

May 31, 2016 Quantitative Risk Assessment Workshop SINOPEC Qingdao, China Dr. Sam Mannan

June 1, 2016 Why Incidents Keep Happening? 4th CCPS China Conference on Process Safety Qingdao, China Dr. Sam Mannan

Upcoming Outreach Activities September 7 Cutting Edge Research Programs Texas A&M Energy Institute College Station, TX Dr. Sam Mannan

September 12-15 44th Turbomachinery & 31st Pump Symposium Practical Implementation Issues Regarding Process Safety Houston, TX Dr. Nancy Faulk

September 22 How to Achieve and Maintain Process Safety Performance Chemical Process Magazine Process Safety Webinar Dr. Sam Mannan

October 6, 2016 The Evolution of Process Safety: Current Status and Future Direction 8th Southwest Process Technology Conference Galveston, TX Dr. Sam Mannan

October 30-31 Accomplishing Process Safety Excellence Through Standardized Programs Gulf Safety Forum Doha, Qatar Dr. Sam Mannan

October 30-31 Role of Academia in Building Competency in Process Safety: Experience from the MKOPSC in Qatar Gulf Safety Forum Doha, Qatar Dr. Luc Vechot November 9-10, 2016 Title Managing Aging Plants Conference Houston, TX

Outreach Activities

Webinar: How to Achieve and Maintain Process Safety Performance

Many processes include operations that take place at high temperatures or elevated pressures or

that handle materials that pose flammability, toxicity or other hazards. So, keeping these operations

safe is priority number one. This webinar will discuss how to achieve and maintain effective process

safety performance.

The webinar will be presented on September 22, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. by Dr. Sam Mannan and moder-

ated by Traci Purdum.

To register, go to: http://info.chemicalprocessing.com/chemical-processings-

2016_process_safety_september#register

10 Centerline, Vol. 20, No. 2 Summer 2016

This case study reviewed the incident of a nitric oxide (NO) leak and explosion at an Isotec facility in Ohio in 2003. Isotec is a stable isotope production company that produces isotopes by cyrogenic distillation of the shock sensitive nitric oxide and carbon monoxide. There was a leak of NO from the distillation column into the insulating vacuum jacket that caused a nitric oxide leak into the atmosphere. After this, the personnel began installing temporary tubing to empty the NO in the column while closely monitoring pressure inside the column. The pressure was stabilized much below the vacuum jacket burst pressure. An hour later without any warning, there was an explosion that destroyed the column and buildings about 140 feet from the explosion. Chunks of concrete and metal shards landed about 1000 feet away. With the fear of a carbon monoxide storage vessel explosion, a one mile radius evacuation was ordered that affected 500 homes and 2000 people. There were similar incidents at Isotec in the past, but these were not investigated. The failure causes related to the incident are still unknown. The incident was analyzed from a BLEVE perspective, but further conclusions could not be drawn owing to little information about the incident. There is an inherent hazard associated with using liquid nitric oxide that was known at the time the facility was built. Some recommendations included inherently safer design concepts during the conceptual stage of any plant, need for a mechanical integrity program to ensure the safety of the equipment and development of leading indicators as a measure of safe operations and to predict future events especially when it is difficult to analyze the post-incident condition.

Nitric Oxide Leak and Explosion at Isotec, Ohio

Presented by Susmitha Kotu

A thermal runaway initiated BLEVE occurred in a Nippon Shokubai owned facility in the Himeji Pre-cinct of Japan. The explosion happened in a basic chemical production unit that produced acrylic acid. An intermediate storage tank installed in 1985 stored crude acrylic acid during a two-day maintenance period. The tank had a top circulation line to mix the stored liquid to achieve a uniform temperature. Due to a change in operating principles in 2000 and 2010, the importance of using the top circulation line was forgotten on the eve of the incident. Furthermore, the tank was not equipped with any temperature monitoring system. Other technical and organizational issues were identified as the root causes of this incident such as (a) failure to update the operating manual and/or dissem-inate to involved personnel; (b) inadequate training for nonstandard operating modes; (c) insuffi-cient risk analysis;(d) poor plant oversight; (e) inadequate supervision; (f) lack of emergency situa-tion drills; and (g) failure to learn from internal and external experiences. This incident caused 1 death, more than 35 injuries and total of €450 M in monetary losses. The key lessons learned from this incident were: (a) importance of updated documentation and correspondence of process change; (b) necessity of good risk analysis; (c) technician training and practice drills; (d) continuous monitoring of leading indicators; and (e) effective communications.

Explosion and fire in an acrylic acid tank at Japan September 29, 2012

Presented by Monir Ahammad

April 28 Steering Committee Meeting: Case Histories

11 Centerline, Vol. 20, No. 2 Summer 2016

April 28 Steering Committee Meeting: Research Presentations

“Resilience Analysis Framework for Process Design and Operations”

Prerna Jain, PhD Chemical Engineering Student

Process safety and risk management challenges in the process industry and

change in public perception regarding hazards and risk have necessitated

exploring tools for efficient risk management. Application of the resilience

engineering perspective is gradually being explored as an approach for

considering the dynamics of socio-technical aspects based on systems the-

ory. The resilience methodology emphasizes non-linear dynamics, new

types of threats, uncertainty, and recovery from upset or catastrophic situa-

tions. The presentation provided an introduction to the Process Resilience

Analysis Framework and its four aspects: Early Detection, Error Tolerant

Design, Plasticity and Recoverability. A survey on resilience metrics was presented. The work presented typi-

cal scenarios of Loss of Containment (LoC) events and resilience metrics for batch plant operations. An exam-

ple of quantification of human and organizational factors was presented utilizing hypothetical data. The

presentation concluded with a discussion of the proposed integrated methodology for prediction of LoC events

and presentation of a case study on Poly Vinyl Chloride manufacturing.

“Phase equilibrium studies on N-oxidation systems to identify inherently safer operating

conditions”

Sunder Janardanan, PhD Chemical Engineering Student

Alkylpyridine N-oxides are used in the pharmaceutical industry to synthesize analgesic and anti-inflammatory

drugs. Currently, the N-oxides are produced in semi-batch reactors where alkylpyridines are oxidized with

hydrogen peroxide (35% solution) and phosphotungstic acid catalyst. However, the N-oxidation is accompa-

nied by the undesired, condition-dependent decomposition of hydrogen peroxide. A runaway of this reaction

may result in a rapid generation of oxygen and temperature rise in the alkylpyridine flammable environment,

with the additional potential to over pressurize the reaction vessel and/or trigger secondary decompositions of

the product. Also, the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide is exacerbated during the N-oxidation of higher

order alkylpyridines due to the mass transfer resistance caused by the formation of an organic phase and an

aqueous phase. The water-soluble catalyst causes severe decomposition of the peroxide, jeopardizing the safe-

ty of the process, and reducing its efficiency.

This research is focused on predicting the phase equilibrium for an alkylpyridine-Noxide-water-catalyst sys-

tem. According to previously published literature, the N-oxide increases the solubility of alkylpyridines in the

water phase. The equilibrium studies would identify the component compositions for which a homogeneous

system prevails. The compound that would be studied 2,6-lutidine, and their corresponding N-oxides. The

study would be conducted in a reaction calorimeter (RC1), which has an in-built FTIR (Fourier Transform

Infrared Spectroscopy) probe. Apart from this, models for predicting the phase diagrams will be constructed

by determining the activity coefficients for the mixture components from first principles and estimating pair

interaction energies using molecular orbital ab-initio calculations.

12 Centerline, Vol. 20, No. 2 Summer 2016

On November 18, 1987, a fire erupted at King’s Cross St. Pancras tube station in London. The fire killed 31 people and injured more than 100 people. The incident was caused by a series of incidents. A passenger dropped a lit match through the gap between the wood steps and the skirting board of the escalator which ignited the accumulated trash and grease on the escalator running track. Since the staff in the underground station lacked proper emergency response training, they did not effectively respond to the emergency. In addition, the trench effect of the escalator enhanced the propagation of the flame. This incident pointed out three major safety issues. First, the equipment was not properly maintained nor had it been adequately cleaned since installation. Thus, the grease on the escalator running track ignited easily. Second, the King’s Cross staff were not properly trained in emergency response; they did not know how to use the water fog fire extinguisher; and only one evacuation plan had been considered. This plan was not effective to save lives. The third factor that contributed to the incident was the trench effect in the escalator. Because of the geometry of the inclined escalator, the heat could not escape and the wooden escalator burned rapidly.

“King's Cross Station Fire -- Upward Flame Study &

Emergency Responses” Presented by Jiayong Zhu

A broad view of the safety performance of pipeline transportation of petroleum and refined petrole-um products was presented. Different transportation modes- -tank ships and barges, trucks and rail-road tank cars- -were compared. Comparative statistics show that pipeline is the safest way to transport petroleum products in terms of incidents per billion ton-miles and fatalities per billion ton-miles. Then, different types of pipeline incidents and causes of pipeline incidents were investigated. Pipeline incidents caused by corrosion, excavations, natural forces, and intentional damage were discussed in detail. Furthermore, the solutions of decreasing pipeline incidents including regulations and regulators, technologies, pipeline incident database, pipeline integrity management and pipe-line risk assessment were presented. With all these great advances, the pipeline industry continues to learn and improve to make them safer for nearby people and the environment.

“How Safe are Pipelines?”

Presented by Yizhi Hong

April 29 Technical Advisory Committee Meeting: Case Histories

13 Centerline, Vol. 20, No. 2 Summer 2016

April 29 Technical Advisory Committee Meeting: Research Presentations

“Cumulative Risk Assessment to Analyze Increased Risk due to Impaired Barriers in

Offshore Drilling Rigs”

Zohra Halim, PhD Chemical Engineering Student

In today’s sizeable facilities, the whole picture of risk cannot be obtained based on identifying only the major

incident hazards. There is an increased potential for adverse consequences resulting from equipment, proce-

dure or a person not doing the work properly. The threat from the cumulative effect of a number of such devia-

tions (such as delayed maintenance, aging assets, loss of redundancy, and insufficient competency) can be sig-

nificant. In order to assess total risk, we need to consider technical, operational, human and organizational fac-

tors. At the same time, risk assessment should address the complexity and size of the system along with tem-

poral aspects and dependencies of components and uncertainties of parameter estimation. However, the litera-

ture review performed found that although certain models and

framework existed that covered part of the requirement, none of

the models could quantitatively accommodate all of the factors

mentioned above. Current research, thus, focuses on developing a

framework that integrates technical, operational, human and or-

ganizational factors and developing a model based on the frame-

work such that the model is quantitative, dynamic, addresses de-

pendencies, and is capable of handling uncertainties.

“A Framework for Developing Leading Indicators for Offshore Drillwell Blowout

Incidents”

Nafiz Tamim, PhD Chemical Engineering Student

Leading indicators are effective organizational tools that can identify vulnerabilities in a risk management

system and predict potential process safety events. Offshore drilling operations and well activities have al-

ways been very challenging due to technological and operational complexities, and it is quite difficult to de-

velop well specified risk indicators for these high risk operations. This research aims to develop a leading risk

indicators model for offshore drilling and other well activities (e.g., workover) to predict gas kicks and possi-

ble blowout scenarios. Upon analyzing different guidelines and drilling practices, a comprehensive categori-

zation of leading indicators is proposed considering the complexities of the drilling and well activities. This

work proposes a cause-based approach to develop sets of

leading indicators for different categories and organiza-

tional levels. For example, real-time/instantaneous indica-

tors have been identified for operational or rig-site use

and long-term indicators based on organizational safety

practices and performances have been developed for

management use. Simple decision support algorithms

have also been constructed correlating physical observa-

bles and associated causal factors with actions required

for early gas kick detection. This work continues to build

a comprehensive risk model combining real-time indica-

tors with operational and organizational aspects to predict

and prevent blowout incidents.

14 Centerline, Vol. 20, No. 2 Summer 2016

Silver Eagle Refining Pipe Catastrophic Rupture

Presented by Edna Mendez

This incident occurred on November 4, 2009 at the Silver Eagle refinery in Woods Cross, Utah,

due to the total rupture of a 10-inch pipe located at the exit of the dewaxing unit during the cata-

lyst regeneration process. High-pressure hydrogen was released and rapidly expanded. Sec-

onds later, it ignited. Due to the blast, four workers were injured and around 100 homes received

different levels of damage. The damage mechanism that affected the pipe was sulfidation corro-

sion. The pipe was susceptible to the damage mechanism due to its low chromium content. No

documentation existed of inspections to the pipe since installation in 1993. Some of the probable

causes of this incident are: inadequate hazard analysis, poor material selection/verification, and

inadequate mechanical integrity program. Contributing factors include inadequate zoning and

lack of an investigation system. The lessons learned are:

-Inspections programs need to consider standards, recommended engineering practices and process specifications.

-Proper design principles are needed along with strong mechanical integrity programs.

-Municipalities need to take more actions before defining the land use near existing facilities.

-Companies need to understand the Process Hazard Analysis as a tool for decision makers aim-ing to have safer operations.

Mumbai High North Platform Fire

Presented by Ankita Taneja

This case history reviewed the fire at the Mumbai High North (MHN) Platform in the Arabian Sea

on July 27, 2005. The platform was operated by Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd. The fire

burned for approximately two hours and resulted in 11 fatalities. 362 out of 384 on board the

complex were rescued over a 36 hour rescue operation. A Multi-Support Vessel lost control and

hit one of the gas export risers of the MHN platform below the topside emergency shutdown

valve (ESDV), which resulted in a leak and a subsequent fire. Dynamic positioning of the

thrusters of the vessel failed when the vessel approached the platform. The ESDVs were also

not able to contain the flammable hydrocarbons completely. The emergency response was

weak. Several recommendations were made to avoid such incidents, such as proper protection

of risers against collision, ensuring pre-qualification checks and having up-to-date maintenance

of offshore facilities, documenting robust joint procedures for vessel-platform interface

operations.

June 16 Steering Committee Meeting: Case Histories

15 Centerline, Vol. 20, No. 2 Summer 2016

June 16 Steering Committee Meeting: Research Presentations

“A Study of Safety Culture Assessment Framework for Chemical Process Industry

and its Application to a Bayesian Belief Network Analysis” Changwon Son, MS Safety Engineering Student

This research presentation suggests three important rationales for

the need of a safety culture research effort: safety culture as a root

cause, a risk factor and a legal requirement. In order to take ad-

vantage of safety culture as a useful tool to manage risks, the ef-

fective assessment of safety culture is imperative. Hence, this

study proposes a methodology of measuring safety culture using

an approach designed to capture the differences in visible phenom-

ena or activities that are assumed to reveal the level of safety cul-

ture. To facilitate this approach, the Safety Culture Dimension

Matrix and a set of Grading Schemes are developed. As a result, a

safety culture assessment questionnaire is also generated. In the BBN, generic technical failure rate data and mock-

up safety culture survey data are combined for a risk analysis using Hybrid Causal Logic. Overall, the mean values

of posterior probability distribution are found to be moderately larger than the generic probability value due to its

asymmetrical tails or simple skew. But it is worth noting that uncertainty associated with organizational factors is

modeled and represented in this work. Finally, this socio-technical risk analysis model is assumed to be useful in

translating safety culture survey data into a quantitative risk analysis. It is notable that the present work particularly

focuses on the measurement of safety culture and its application to a risk analysis. As a result, the model presents

the overall risk structure that embraces multiple layers of technical systems and underlying influencing factors that

include safety culture. Based on this socio-technical risk structure, the effect of underlying factors on the failure of

technical components is investigated.

“Incorporation of process safety in design and optimization of chemical

supply chain”

Nitin Roy, PhD Chemical Engineering Student

Supply chain network design and optimization is very important in decision making. Stakeholders can assess gigan-

tic supply chains to increase profit while minimizing risks. Risks in supply chains arise from various sources such

as demands, supply, etc. One of the main sources of risk in supply chain disruptions are caused by chemical and

process hazards during the transportation, manufacture and storage of chemicals. Quantification of chemical and

process hazard is necessary in decision making and is one of the challenges

faced by the chemical process industry. This study proposes to develop a

novel framework of analyzing supply chain network design and process

safety holistically while accounting for the uncertainties. This work shows

how the hazards in the supply chain will drive the upper bounds on the

flow for each entity in the supply chain. The general supply chain formula-

tion has been revised to integrate these bounds. The supply chain formula-

tion described during this presentation was a linear programming model

with a case study in ammonia supply chain.

Model Development

16 Centerline, Vol. 20, No. 2 Summer 2016

REGISTER NOW!

http://psc.tamu.edu/symposia/2016-sym/registration-information

Early Registration Ends September 30!

17 Centerline, Vol. 20, No. 2 Summer 2016

18 Centerline, Vol. 20, No. 2 Summer 2016

19 Centerline, Vol. 20, No. 2 Summer 2016

Reserve your EXHIBIT Space!

Exhibit Hall—Bluebonnet Ballroom

$1,750

Includes

8′X8′ booth

electrical hookup

table and chairs

listing in meeting programs,

print and online

one complimentary registration

2016 International Symposium

Contact Alanna Scheinerman — ascheinerman@tamu.edu

Phone: 979-845-5981

Tabletop–Promenade

$1,250

Includes

Table and chairs

electrical hookup

listing in meeting programs,

print and online

one complimentary registration

one copy of proceedings

20 Centerline, Vol. 20, No. 2 Summer 2016

HAVE YOUR COMPANY ADVERTISED TO OVER 600

ATTENDEES AT THE SYMPOSIUM AND MORE

THROUGH OUR LISTSERV!!!

21 Centerline, Vol. 20, No. 2 Summer 2016

Call for Papers

Abstract submission deadline: 1 October 2015

Download the Hazards 27 Call for Papers brochure Papers are invited from a range of industry sectors including pharmaceuticals; food; biogas; oil & gas; fuel cell; energy storage; nuclear; chemicals; water; offshore; paint & coatings; fibres; mining & quarrying; paper; waste & recycling; renewables; agrochemicals & farming; and new technologies.

Hazards is an international conference and contributions are welcomed from all regions where the process safety challenge is being addressed. Papers are invited on the following themes:

How to submit an abstract

Send your abstract of no more than 500 words to hazards27@icheme.org by 23 September 2016. Please include a sentence outlining the main objective of your paper and indicating which theme it fits under.

How it works

Abstracts will be reviewed by the technical committee and if successful a full paper will be requested. Following another independent review, successful papers will be offered an oral presentation or a poster presentation. There are approximately 70 oral presentation slots availa-ble.

Key dates Abstracts to be submitted by: 23 September 2016 Abstracts to be reviewed by: End October 2016 Full papers to be submitted by: 16 December 2016 Full papers to be reviewed by: Early February 2017

Any questions?

For queries about submitting an abstract contact hazards27@icheme.org or +44 (0)1788 55534442

22 Centerline, Vol. 20, No. 2 Summer 2016

For more information contact Alanna Scheinerman: ascheinerman@tamu.edu or (979) 845-5981

For more information and to register online, visit:

The Instrumentation and Automation Symposium for the Process Industries, now in

its 72nd year, continues to educate professionals and students in the Instrumentation

industry. At the Symposium, practical technical papers as well as vendor exhibits are

presented with a focus on education. Over the years, the Symposium has grown in

SPECIAL SAVINGS OPPORTUNITY

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to save 20% on your full attendee registration! If you are a past

participant of the annual Instrumentation Symposium and you bring a first-time attendee, both you

and your guest’s registration will be discounted by 20%!

Early Registration Rates Now through Dec. 9, 2016!

Symposium Attractions

- Earn 17 Professional Development Hours - An Ethics course for Professional Engineer License

- 4th Annual Instrument Reliability Network - Back to Basics Workshop

- Quality Assurance and HIPPS Topics - Emerging Technology and Cyber Security Topics

http://instrumentation-symposium.tamu.edu

- Exhibit Area focused on new and emerging technologies

both stature and attendance with over 460 attendees at the 2016 Symposium.

23 Centerline, Vol. 20, No. 2 Summer 2016

2016- 2017 Continuing Education Schedule

Date Course # Class Instructor Facility*

9/27 2141 Introduction to Quantitative Risk Analysis: Ms. Cynthia SpitzenbergerMr. Vijay Raghunathan

DNV-GL Facilities

10/4-10/5 2042 Layer of Protection Analysis Mr. Bill Hearn SIS-TECH Solutions

10/26 Engineering Ethics Dr. Sam Mannan College Station, TX

11/15-11/16 1082 Process Safety Management-Fundamentals Mr. John Lockwood Eaton Center

11/15-11/16 2082 SIL Verification Mr. Bill Hearn SIS-TECH Solutions

Sept TBD 4172 Dust Explosion Hazards Dr. Scott Davis TBD

2017

2/21-2/22 3102 Pressure Relief Systems – Best Practices Dr. Nancy Faulk Siemens Facility

2/23 3151 Disposal Systems Analysis – Best Practices Mr. Ben Pratt Siemens Facility

3/7-3/8 2052 Process Hazard Analysis Leadership Training Mr. Bill Hearn SIS-TECH Solutions

3/21-3/23 2073 SIS Implementation Mr. Bill Hearn SIS-TECH Solutions

4/4-4/5 1082 Process Safety Management-Fundamentals Mr. John Lockwood Eaton Center

4/11-4/12 2042 Layer of Protection Analysis Mr. Bill Hearn SIS-TECH Solutions

April TBD 1041 Management of Change Dr. Jack Chosnek TBD

5/2-5/3 2082 SIL Verification Mr. Bill Hearn SIS-TECH Solutions

CONTACT:Alanna Scheinerman3122 TAMUCollege Station, TX 77843-3122P: 979.845-5981 E: ascheinerman@tamu.edu

Facilities in Houston, TX:SIS-TECH Solutions – 12621 Featherwood Drive, Suite 120Eaton Experience Center – 3413 North Sam Houston Pkwy W., Suite 212ASiemens – 4615 SW Freeway, Suite 900

Classes offered in Houston, TX and at your facility!

CUSTOMIZED COURSES: All courses above are available to be delivered atyour company site! The instructor travels to thefacility and the short course is tailored to the specificneeds of the facility.

http://psc.tamu.edu/education/schedule-of-classes-registrationUpdated 9/2/2016

24 Centerline, Vol. 20, No. 2 Summer 2016

Contact Mary Kay O’Connor Process Safety Center

3122 TAMU College Station, TX 77843-3122

Phone: 979-845-3489

Fax: 979-458-1493

http://psc.tamu.edu

Symposia October 25-27, 2016

Mary Kay O'Connor Process Safety Center 19th Annual International Symposium

Beyond Regulatory Compliance, Making Safety Second Nature In Association with IChemE

Hilton Conference Center College Station, Texas

• • •

January 24-26, 2017

72st Annual Instrumentation and Automation Symposium for the Process Industries Memorial Student Center

Texas A&M University College Station, Texas

Calendar of Events

Short Courses

(For more info see: http://psc.tamu.edu/education/continuing-education)

© Copyright 2016. Mary Kay O’Connor Process Safety Center. All rights reserved.

College Station, Texas, USA.

2141—Introduction to Quantitative Risk Analysis Instructor: Vijay Raghunathan and Cynthia Spitzenberger Date: September 27, 2016 Time: 8:30am – 4:30pm Credit: 0.7 CEUs/7 PDHs Location: DNV GL Facilities, Katy TX

2082— Safety Integrity Level (SIL) Verification Instructor: Mr. Bill Hearn Date: November 15-16, 2016 Time: 8:30am – 4:30pm Credit: 1.4 CEUs/14 PDHs Location: SIS-Tech, Houston TX

2042 — Layer of Protection Analysis Instructor: Mr. Bill Hearn Date: October 4-5, 2016 Time: 8:30am—4:30pm Credit: 2.1 CEUs/21 PDHs Location: SIS-Tech, Houston TX

1082 — Process Safety Management-Fundamentals Instructor: Mr. John Lockwood Date: November 15-16, 2016 Time: 8:30am—4:30pm Credit: 1.4 CEUs/14 PDHs Location: Eaton Experience Center, Houston TX