On line flare cleaning

I read about a online cleaning of a partially blocked flare header. I was wondering what change the refinery made for the flare header to get partially blocked in the first place. See the video and article in this link. PS: This is for information only.

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Slurry pump accident

Even a slurry pump when operated dead headed can cause a serious accident. When pumps are operated with their discharge valve closed and no recirculating, the energy will converted to heat. In this incident a slurry pump over pressurized due to superheating of the slurry. Read about the incident   in this link.

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Are your contingency plans in place?

A recent fire in the Chennai Airport air traffic control complex due to a battery explosion highlights the how good contingency planning and drills can bring a dangerous situation in control. A Times of India article mentions that "A battery of the uninterrupted power system, that was the third back up for the Advance Surface Movement Guidance and Control System (ASMGCS) or surface movement radar, had caught fire and exploded. The battery system that exploded was immediately isolated from other equipment to prevent damage to sensitive machines. Even as the fire fighting was taking place, a few air traffic controllers were sitting along with their colleagues on the second floor and communicating with pilots of overflying aircraft over high frequency communication system."

Read the full article in this link.



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Confined space entry precautions

Reading a 1987 document about the hazards of confined spaces indicates how relevant it is even today. Old is gold!
Read it in this link. 

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Ammonia leak from plant

An incident where a safety valve in an ammonia plant lifted and discharged ammonia to the atmosphere has been reported. Check where your ammonia safety valves discharge. Vent stacks which may have been built by the designer may not be the appropriate solution as the population around the plant may have increased. Read about the incident in this link.


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Tanks & iso container accidents

Tanks and iso container accidents


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Three killed in Chemical leak at Ankleshwar

Thanks to Mr Sunil Chauhan for sharing news about an incident that has killed three people. Times of India reports that "A chemical process involving acrylonitrile and carbon tetra chloride was being carried out. "This process needs a proper temperature control. The persons responsible failed to control the high temperature that led to a reaction and subsequent leakage of the gas from a gasket of a reactor. We are investigating whether the company had installed proper gasket. Preliminary findings indicate that automatic temperature control valve was not installed," sources said."

Read the article in this link. 


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Global Chemicals outlook - UNEP

UNEP has published a very informative global chemicals outlook and has given recommendations for the sustainable growth of the industry. Indian chemical manufacturing is projected to grow 59% in the period 2012 to 2020. The sound management of Process safety will become more and more important as the industry faces high attrition rates and management succession gaps. Read the report in this link.

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CEO faces bonus cut due to incidents

A news article mentions that the CEO of a chemical giant faces cuts in his bonus due to major incidents under his tenure. Many organizations are now linking process safety performance as one of the items to calculate incentives.
Read the article in this link. 


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Blast in API unit - DGM production arrested

The Hindu (AP edition) today reports that the DGM production of an API manufacturing unit in Andhra Pradesh has been arrested for a blast that killed two persons in January.  The news item mentions that "after a magisterial enquiry, it was established that plastic pipes were used for pumping the chemicals instead of metal pipes. It was also said that sub standard pipes were used."

Read about the incident that happened in January in this link.

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PVC pipe explosion incident

A safety alert by MSHA indicates the dangers of PVC primer trapped in enclosed spaces that caused a PVC pipeline to explode. Read about the incident in this link.


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