Addressing Process Safety Challenges in Batch Tolling

Brenda Seggerman

EHS Engineer, Hydrite Chemical Co.

Batch operations play a significant role in the Chemical Process Industries, but can face different process safety challenges than continuous processes, especially for batch tolling. A batch tolling facility will produce many different products, in multiple vessels, and with chemicals in varying amounts. The associated hazards of the raw materials and the products may range from highly hazardous to little to no hazard. In looking at the 14 elements of the Process Safety Management regulation, batch tolling faces increased challenges in successfully implementing and managing operating procedures, training, management of change, pre-start up safety reviews, process hazard analysis, emergency response, contractors, mechanical integrity, and process safety information due to the ever changing chemicals used and their hazards, types of reactions that occur, and the temperatures and pressures at which the processes are run. This paper will highlight some of the challenges and how one company addresses these challenges for process safety, while maintaining market competitiveness.