(47bw) Process Risk Assessment and “Safe Area” for a Petro-Chemical Plant in China

Process Risk Assessment and “Safe Area” for a Petro-Chemical Plant in China

                                     Jing Yu, DuPont Engineering, Shanghai, China

                                     S. Dharmavaram, DuPont Engineering, Wilmington, DE, USA

                                     Ji Ming Wang, SINOPEC, Beijing, China

Many process hazards exist and highly hazardous events are possible in a typical petro-chemical plant.  Even though the frequencies of such events occurring are low, the community has limited knowledge of consequences, frequencies, and process risk.  Process hazards are like wild animals trapped in cages.  Understanding hazards and minimizing risk can still lead to safe operation and contribute to society.  Severe objections have been raised recently on building a para-xylene plant in China.

Risk assessment for a petro-chemical plant starts with a thorough identification and understanding of process hazards.  Such process safety information is important for conducting process hazards analyses.  Practical experience on incidents that have occurred in the past in China and elsewhere the world is also very valuable for determining the frequency of hazardous events.

In this paper/presentation, information about the severity and consequences of hazardous events at a para-xylene plant and associated process risk will be presented. Detailed modeling done for simulating the consequences of accidents and a study of domino effects to determine how fires/explosions propagate within a plant will be discussed.  Use of process dynamic modeling tools such as Aspen® to calculate process conditions leading to incidents will be described. Deflagration and detonation tests used as a basis for Aspen® modeling to identify the worst-case scenarios for fires/explosions and toxic releases will also be presented.  An understanding of off-site and on-site consequences and frequencies of hazardous events is used ultimately to determine a “safe area" concept for a petro-chemical plant, which will help local government make proper decisions and help the community in understanding process risks.