Full-Service Decontamination

Tel: +1 832.775.1600 Toll Free: 877.332.6648

www.zymeflow.com

Zyme-Flow is a mark of United Laboratories International, LLC. ©2010 United Laboratories International, LLC. All Rights Reserved

The right chemical is crucial for process unit and vessel decontamination.

For optimal results – shorter turnaround times, faster vessel entry, lower costs, improved safety –

you need something more.

That’s why our patented Zyme-Flow®_chemistries are backed by world-class service – including comprehensive planning, chemical recommenda- tions and project management. From the industry’s most experienced decontamination specialists.

If you’re ready to take decontamination results to the next level, we’re ready to help.

Full-Service

Decontamination

PLANT SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENT

SPECIALREPORT

64

leak, there are chances of the drifting flam- mable vapor cloud coming in contact with a source of ignition on the downwind side, with potential danger of an explosion and fire. A plant layout design team must con- sider the prevailing wind direction, while locating the potential critical sources of the hazardous gaseous leak, with respect to the populated areas/sources of ignition inside as well as outside the plant boundaries.

It is important to understand the pre- vailing wind direction concept. The aim is to locate the potential toxic/flammable gas leak sources in such a manner that the chances of the vapor/gas cloud drifting toward the ignition source or the populated area are minimal. Some sites have a clear single prevailing wind direction throughout the year, while other sites may have dif- ferent prevailing wind directions during other times of the year. Therefore, designers must study the wind rose diagrams care- fully and arrive at a direction that has the minimum chance on wind blowing in the wrong direction. Such direction is often termed as the cross-wind direction.

Drains and sewers also have an impact

on plant fire safety. Industry has witnessed the consequences of the plan drainage sys-

tem designed without proper consideration to fire safety, such as:

• Fire spreading through underground oily sewers

• Explosion in sewers

• Fire spreading due to an oil layer on the open drains

• Drains overflowing and water logging during fire fighting.

Fire safety considerations related to plant drainage systems are:

• Drainage systems must be designed to handle the firewater discharge expected during fire emergencies

• Oily sewers should incorporate liquid seals to stop propagations of fire through vapor spaces in the sewer

• Open drains, designed for non-oily discharges in normal operations still have chances of carrying oily effluent in abnormal situations, and should also be provided with liquid seals at certain intervals/locations.

Conclusion. Effective emergency response is essential to minimize the con- sequences of an incident in the petroleum industry. Plant design must incorporate the emergency response requirement, in addi- tion to the normal plant safety requirements

laid out in the code and standard guide- lines. Practical aspects of emergency plan- ning and response should be incorporated in the plant design, along with consulting emergency response specialists. HP

Ramesh Chand Saini is a Health Safety and Environment pro- fessional with over 35 years of experi- ence in emergency preparedness and response systems in the hydrocar- bon processing industry. He currently works at Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC) and his respon- sibilities include developing and updating plans and procedures for fire safety engineering and management, emergency response and crisis management systems; and also ensuring fire safety adequacy of the existing plants as well as the new projects. Mr. Saini has initiated a number of projects for upgrading fire safety facilities in refineries. After graduating from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Kanpur, India, he worked for 13 years for Engineers India Limited (EIL) in its project engineering team in the area of safety and fire protection for refiner- ies and petrochemical projects. Mr. Saini is a member of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE), a certified HAZOP leader and ISO 9001 lead auditor and has partici- pated in a number of HAZOP studies and audits of fire safety facilities at oil installations across Kuwait. He is a member of a number of fire incident investigation teams. Previously, Mr. Saini was a member of the fire committee of the Bureau of Indian Standards, involved in develop- ing a number of Indian standards on fire safety. He has also been briefly associated with the Oil Industry Safety Directorate of India for developing safety standards.

The Planning Guide to Piping Design

By Richard Beale, Paul Bowers and Peter Smith 300 pages • Hardcover • Pub date: September 2010 ISBN: 978-1-933762-37-1 • Price: $175

The Planning Guide to Piping Design covers the entire process of planning a plant model project from conceptual to mechanical completion, and explains where the piping lead falls in the process along with his roles and responsibilities.

Advanced Piping Design

By Rutger Botermans and Peter Smith 250 pages • Hardcover • Pub date: May 2008 ISBN: 978-1-933762-18-0 • Price: $175

An intermediate-level handbook covering guidelines and procedures on process plants and interconnecting piping systems.

The Fundamentals of Piping Design

By Peter Smith

262 pages • Hardcover • Pub date: April 2007 ISBN: 978-1-933762-043 • Price: $175

Written for the piping engineer and designer in the field, this first part of the two-part series helps to fill a void in piping literature, since the Rip Weaver books of the ‘90s were taken out of print.

To place an order, visit www.gulfpub.com or call +1 (713) 520-4426.

PLANT SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENT

SPECIALREPORT

HYDROCARBON PROCESSING NOVEMBER 2010

I