The Possible vs. The Probable

Overhead view of the Arkema plant in Corsby, Texas.
Image from United States Chemcial Safety Board 

Process stakeholders have concerns and responsibilities regarding operational safety, environmental impact, profitability, and more. At almost every level, the risk of loss, damage, or disaster is scrutinized and evaluated. Steps may be taken to prevent or reduce the impact of some negative event. Other risk reduction methods might be put into play to provide relief from losses suffered. Whatever the case, it is safe to say that much industrial effort is invested in predicting a broad range of "what if" scenarios.

The recent events at the Arkema chemical plant in Crosby, Texas bring to light the limitations we, as process operators of any type, may put on our own thinking and actions. Though investment was made, and was ongoing, to improve aspects of the plant, the operation was still brought to a standstill and a fire ensued that brought the involvement of the US Chemical Safety Board. This resulted because natural events that were likely deemed impossible became reality, with insufficient contingency operations in place to handle the situation.

What is important about the event is what we can all learn from it, what we can use to modify and improve our own methods of evaluating risk and implementing protections to prevent loss and damage. Essentially, the plant was overwhelmed by storm induced flooding that was unprecedented. Grid and backup power sources were rendered inoperable and material that required refrigeration to maintain a safe condition no longer was provided with the needed cold storage environment.

Timeline of events related to a fire at the Arkema chemical plant in Crosby, TX
Image is from US Chemical Safety Board 

The relationships between an operation and its surrounding environment are not static. The probability of any event occurring is never zero. When probabilities are perceived as being very small, they might be ignored, but low probability events can and do eventually become part of the plant environment. Developing strong contingency plans and incorporating design elements into an operation that account for events that seem impossible, but are actually of very low probability, is a good industrial practice that hardens the process or facility against disaster.

Share and discuss your concerns and plans with process instrumentation and control specialists, leveraging your own knowledge and experience with their resources to develop a better solution.

CSB Case Study of Industrial Plant Heat Exchanger Explosion

Two heat exchangers at chemical plant

Industrial accidents, whether minor or catastrophic, can serve as sources of learning when analyzed and studied. Operators, owners, and technicians involved with industrial chemical operations have a degree of moral, ethical, and legal responsibility to conduct work in a reasonably and predictably safe manner without endangering personnel, property, or the environment. Part of a diligent safety culture should include reviewing industrial accidents at other facilities. There is much to learn from these unfortunate events, even when they happen in an industry that may seem somewhat removed from our own.

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board, or CSB, is an independent federal agency that investigates industrial chemical accidents. Below, find one of their video reenactments and analysis of an explosion that occurred at a Louisiana chemical processing plant in 2013. A portion of the reenactment shows how a few seemingly innocuous oversights can combine with other unrecognized conditions that result in a major conflagration.

Check out the video and sharpen your sense of awareness for potential trouble spots in your own operation.

Video Reenactment and Analysis of Industrial Fire and Explosion

All facilities have some element of risk

Industrial accidents range in severity and impact from minuscule to catastrophic. As operators, owners, or technicians involved with industrial operations, we all have a degree of moral, ethical, and legal responsibility to conduct our work in a manner that does not unduly endanger personnel, property, or the environment. Maintaining a diligent safety stance can be helped by reviewing industrial accidents at other facilities. There is much to learn from these unfortunate events, even when they happen in an industry that may seem somewhat removed from your own.

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board, or CSB, is an independent federal agency that investigates industrial chemical accidents. Below, find one of their video reenactments of an explosion that occurred in Texas in 2013, along with their findings regarding the cause of the incident. Check out the video and sharpen your senses to evaluate potential trouble spots in your own operation.

Contact M.S. Jacobs & Associates for any safety related information you may need concerning their lines of industrial and process control products.

Flexible Hazardous Gas Detection Monitoring System

Sentry IT Controller For Hazardous Gas Detection Monitoring
Courtesy Sierra Monitor

Industrial processes, by their scale and nature, are rife with hazards. As a process designer, engineer, or operator, protection of the facility, employees, and surrounding community ranks highest among our many responsibilities. Some hazards are apparent, visible, easily detected. Others are not. Technology and ingenuity play a substantial role in providing acceptable levels of safety in modern facilities.

Properly designing a hazardous gas monitoring system starts with identifying the target elements and their sources. Gaseous hazards can generally be divided into three general classes, all of which can be specifically targeted with a properly configured gas monitoring system.

• Combustible gas concentrations subject to ignition and explosion.
• Toxic gas with inherent personnel risk.
• Insufficient oxygen levels to support human respiration.

The best overall system configuration can be achieved through a combination of detectors, communications, and response that will provide accurate sensing of the target hazard, reliable and predictable transmission of information, and preconfigured response when alarm limits are triggered. Some product features for the detector monitor that may prove useful in a well specified installation:

• A means to non-intrusively calibrate all sensors at the same time
• Ability to diagnostically monitor connected sensors for performance.
• Provision of an easily operable interface for users.
• Battery backup to maintain operation during a power outage.
• Network and protocol compatibility with a range of industry accepted standards.
• Simple means to upgrade operating software.
• Compatibility with detection devices from a broad array of sources.
• Input capacity for more sensors than your current requirement.

I have included a bulletin describing such a unit, manufactured by Sierra Monitor. Browse the document and contact a hazardous gas detection application specialist to get more details and discuss your hazardous gas detection challenges. The best solutions come from combining your process knowledge and experience with that of a product application specialist.

Sierra Monitor Sentry IT Controller from MSJacobs-Cali