(146f) What the Processing Industry Must Learn from the February 2021 Texas Power Outages
AIChE Spring Meeting and Global Congress on Process Safety
2023
2023 Spring Meeting and 19th Global Congress on Process Safety
Global Congress on Process Safety
GCPS Joint Session: Case Histories and Lessons Learned
Wednesday, March 15, 2023 - 4:30pm to 5:00pm
The people impact of this event was catastrophic. Out of the 246 fatalities confirmed to be related to the winter storm, most were directly related to loss of electric power; 186 people died from hypothermia or exacerbation of pre-existing illnesses, and 29 people died from fires or carbon monoxide poisoning caused by alternate sources of heat such as space heaters and fuel-burning equipment.
This paper will discuss the sequence of events that led to this disruption, and the reasons that the initial upsets grew into such a far-reaching and impactful event, with the purpose of finding the lessons that the processing industry must learn to prevent catastrophic scenarios in their facilities. These lessons include:
- Planning and preparedness for emergencies and unplanned situations
- Identification and management of potential cascading failures, also known as the âdomino effectâ
- Adequate redundancy and separation between normally-operating systems and backup or safeguarding systems
- Understanding of potential hazards of backup systems
- Public communication and community involvement
These lessons are directly applicable to the processing industry. By understanding and applying these lessons, operating companies and facilities can be better prepared to respond to unplanned or extreme situations and save lives, assets and production, and the environment.
Checkout
This paper has an Extended Abstract file available; you must purchase the conference proceedings to access it.
Do you already own this?
Log In for instructions on accessing this content.
Pricing
Individuals
AIChE Pro Members | $150.00 |
AIChE Emeritus Members | $105.00 |
Employees of CCPS Member Companies | $150.00 |
AIChE Graduate Student Members | Free |
AIChE Undergraduate Student Members | Free |
AIChE Explorer Members | $225.00 |
Non-Members | $225.00 |