Consequences Evaluation Study of the Ammonia Storage Plant with Level of Impact in Terms of Fatalities and Input Information to Vulnerability Study Using the Simulation Tool PHAST 6.7

Consequences Evaluation Study of the Ammonia Storage Plant with level of impact in
terms of fatalities and input information to vulnerability study using the simulation tool
PHAST 6.7.

The Simon Bolivar Petrochemical Complex was designed in the 70s to operate in
Barranquilla, capital of Atlantic’s Department in Colombia, according to the urban
plan of the city and to the advantage of the proximity of the Magdalena River to
get the water resource necessary to the operation of Process Plants.
Over time, a community named “Las Flores” grew and was positioned around the
installations, where live approximately three thousand (3000) people. Further, an
industrial corridor adjacent to the boundaries of the complex, that boasts a
population of two thousand (2000), was built.
Due the stable operation of our process and according with requirements of the
Corporate Management of Health, Safety and Environment of Company, was
justified the conducting a study evaluating consequences against the risk of
accidents by chemical exposure of communities that developed around the
industrial complex.
Within units currently operating in the complex that provide end products like,
tricalcium phosphate, complex fertilizers NPK, simple and mixed fertilizers, having
in count the hazard characteristics of materials used to manufacture said products,
was evident that the ammonia (NH3) one of the main raw material constituted the
first hazard to analyze by various factors:
1. Is a substance considered toxic systemic Respiratory System;
2. The normal inventory of the material in the Plant correspond a quantity above
the allowed boundary for hazardous substances (OSHA 1910.119);
3. Within the distribution of complex installations, the ammonia Storage Plant is
located near the community of neighbors who can be affected.
The ammonia Storage Plant, known in the complex as Plant 14, is designed to
receive liquid ammonia to -34°C from ships docked in the port area of the complex,
anhydrous ammonia stored at -34 ° C and 300 mm of H2O in two tanks with a
capacity of ten thousand (10,000) metric tons, of which only preserved in normal
inventory for consumption five thousand (5000) tons, distributed between the two
tanks are maintained reported "communicating vessels "through a pipe.
Further, the plant heats the ammonia at 15°C and 20 kg/Cm2 for distribution to
consuming plants. The ammonia storage in such conditions, involves a
refrigeration system by vapor compression, which converts ammonia vapors that
escape from the top of the tanks and condenses back to -34°C to keep the storage
of ammonia in this phase.
According to the Hazop study developed at the plant in 2008, major dangerous
scenarios were defined, for which it was decided to develop the assessment of
consequences and the level of impact in fatalities over neighboring communities,
so that the company be established to input information into an analysis of
vulnerability to risk public involvement on third chance for such scenarios
The releases of dangerous scenarios were simulated with software Phast 6.7. The
analysis of the impacts took in account to the toxic effects of ammonia in a range of
lethality levels from 100, 50 and 10%.
The results show the zones with probably affectation, and contained all the
possible scenarios generated when the specific direction of wind is modified, an
important factor in the phenomena of toxic cloud dispersions.
For each scenario analyzed, it was determined the level of human losses in terms
of fatalities per area "affectation zone" coverage , number of exposed people, their
vulnerabilities and a directional factor. The last one is the rate between impact area
of a specific event of wind direction and the entire affectation zone.
The end results show a summary about the many fatalities to expect by each
dangerous scenario, and everyone of communities affected.