94284 - Chemical Plant Safety

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student will be aware of the peculiar risk of chemical plans and of the great impact they could represent. The student will know the aspects of chemical risk and the best practices for its assessment and management. The student is expecte to be able to: 1. assess the hazard deriving for chemical reactions; 2. implement the procedures for design and maintainance of safety in industrial chemical processe; 3. manage the risk deriving from industrial chemical plants.

Course contents

This CU is composed of three modules:

(1) Risk Management

Risk management framework and risk management processes, including the ISO 3100 in the context of organizations, and environmental risk management, as set up by health and environmental agencies. Identification of chemicals of concern, the physic-chemical properties affecting their emission, environmental fate, exposure and effect in human health and ecosystems. Hazard identification, exposure assessment, risk characterization, risk communication, and risk minimization. Deterministic and probabilistic risk assessment (modelling with Oracle’s Crystal Ball), characterization of uncertainty and sensitivity analysis.

(2) Chemical Reactivity Hazards

Recognize and manage reactive chemical hazards and show how uncontrolled chemical reactions in the industry or laboratory can lead to serious harm and introduces key concepts for avoiding unintended reactions.

At the end of the module the student is expected to be able to:

1. understand the situation that can cause uncontrolled reactions.
2. identify all chemical reactivity hazards.
3. understand the key concepts for avoiding unintended reactions

(3) Chemical Process Safety

The module will start with an Introduction of the risk assessment of a chemical process. There will be a Review of the 4 thermodynamic principles, thermochemistry, and chemical kinetics.

We will see in detail the following topics:

• Risk assessment of a raw material; literature approach, theoretical calculations, software and interaction matrix

• Thermal safety: what does it mean? Heat balance, pressure and temperature trend, Semenov diagrams, reaction enthalpy

• Risk assessment of a chemical process; adiabatic temperature rise, maximum temperature of the synthesis reaction and adiabatic induction time. Severity and probability assessment. Examples

• Reaction calorimetry with examples on batch and semibatch reactions.

• Differential scanning calorimetry with examples. Use of DSC to evaluate the adiabatic induction time and adiabatic temperature rise. Adiabatic and accelerating rate calorimetry.

• Powder explosion: MIE, MIT, LIT, MEC, resistivity, 20 litter test, mechanical tests

• Flammability: UFL, LFL, MOC and calculations

• Practical exercises for the final written assignment

Readings/Bibliography

Slides will be available for students.

Additional bibliography:

• Thermal Safety of chemical Processes, Francis Stoessel, WILEY-WCH
• Handbook of Reactive Chemical Hazards, Bretherick’s, P G Urben
• EC, 2011. Toxicity and Assessment of Chemical Mixtures. European Commission, Brussels, Belgium.

Teaching methods

The Course Unit is divided in three modules. Each module is organized in theoretical classes where main concepts are explained, as well as tutorial classes with discussion of case-study examples.

Assessment methods

Each module is assessed through a written assignment, or group assignment, or Individual report of a given problem related to the module content, or power point presentation of an assigned topic, including a report on literature research.

The Course Unit grade will be the arithmetic mean of grades from the three modules.

Office hours

See the website of Nuria Lopez Vinent

See the website of Matteo Pori

See the website of Luis Miguel De Amorim Ferreira Fernandes Nunes