International Symposium - Industrial Fire and Explosion Hazards
Published: 16 September, 2009
John looks at the International Symposium, “Beyond Regulatory Compliance, Making Safety Second Nature,” held at the Hilton College Station Conference Center adjacent to the Texas A&M University in College Station, TX October 27-28 2009.
Incident prevention and mitigation from global industrial fires and explosions is an ongoing challenge during the manufacturing process. The risk of accidents is continually present with potential ignition sources through human error or equipment malfunction. In contrast, professional associations and trade organizations must work closely with academia, industry, and government in minimizing the probability of occurrence and severity of industrial fires and explosions.
An excellent educational venue where global stakeholders share process safety management excellence is the International Symposium, “Beyond Regulatory Compliance, Making Safety Second Nature,” held at the Hilton College Station Conference Center adjacent to the Texas A&M University in College Station, TX October 27-28 2009.
Representatives from around the world will converge at the extravaganza event sponsored by the Mary Kay O’Connor Process Safety Center, presenting several dozen papers on risk assessment, reactive chemicals/flammability, process management for safety, gas detection/dispersion, case histories, explosions, LNG, facility citing, and human factors/safety culture. The majority of discussions are primarily on flammable vapors, gases, and liquids where issues of process safety management in the refinery and chemical sectors are focused. Yet a small handful of presentations will cover combustible dust related fire and explosion hazards in the workplace.
In the United States there is a certain mystic of potentially explosive atmospheres created by combustible dust generated from combustible particulate solids in the manufacturing process, almost like voodoo. Many plant owners and managers have not yet accepted the fact that their manufacturing process provides a fuel load for the multitude of potential ignition sources for a deflagration, either flash fire or dust explosion. So explosion protection documents are not prepared as required by the ATEX directives in the EU or a process hazard analysis (PHA) not conducted as referenced in the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) combustible dust standards in the USA and other parts of the world.
But why the disconnect in the USA, where combustible dusts are a separate hazardous entity from flammable vapors, gases, mists and liquids? These liquids, solids, and gases all form potentially explosive atmospheres when the concentration and suspension/dispersion meet up with their buddy, the fire triangle in a confined area. Dust explosions and vapor cloud explosions both have damaging overpressures, thermal radiation, and ensuing life threatening projectiles from their blast effects.
An exciting development in gaining an understanding of combustible dust hazards is occurring at Texas A&M Mary Kay O’Connor Process Safety Center. Where research studies on combustible dust explosion severity will provide industry the insight in the characterization and evaluation of combustible dust hazards. This will assist in removing the disparity that combustible dust poses a separate risk that is already acknowledged under the same umbrella as flammable vapors, gases, mists and liquids in the EU with the ATEX directives and the U.K. with Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations (DSEAR).
A fascinating visualization (below) of the effects of vapor cloud and dust explosions, which is also used in modeling for risk analysis, is the innovative computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software tools that the Norwegian company GexCon developed. With GexCon offices in Sweden, USA, and the U.K. global stakeholders are able to use this technology across a wide spectrum of industry in their risk analysis strategies. Combining the disciplines of physics and calculus with computer aided design (CAD), the FLACS and DESC software assists in predicting the consequences of explosions.
A depiction of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling visualization of a vapor cloud explosion that GexCon has shared.
The Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries provides an illustrative overview in how the Dust Explosion Software Code (DESC) was developed by ten international stakeholders, sponsored by the European Commission. Several papers at the International Symposium will be presented by GexCon in the gas dispersion and explosion tracks during the two day conference. The importance of such presentations is that an understanding of the overpressure effects of dust explosion and vapor cloud explosion blast waves can be easily realized which removes the mystic that there is no difference in the explosion severity and damaging effects of the two types of explosions.
Combustible dust related fires and explosions is a global concern amongst all international trading partners in the manufacturing sector. Industrial fire brigades, local fire departments, and occupational health and safety managers must all work together in sharing information on the hazards in the workplace. New trends and developments through lessons-learned, innovative best engineering practices, and administrative controls enhance the collaborative experience amongst all stakeholders.
The International Symposium assists in removing the barrier that combustible dust explosion hazards differ from the explosive severity of vapor cloud explosions. A multitude of national industries in the manufacturing sector can learn from the oil and gas industry in the implementation of layers of protection from potentially explosive atmospheres, which many elements of process safety management offer. Would like to hear about any other future events occurring globally where stakeholders share information on industrial fire and explosion hazards in the workplace.
Images:
Top: A side view picture of 2005 BP Refinery Texas City explosion The picture illustrates the damage to the contractors offices or double wide trailers. Source: CSB BP incident investigation governmental study
Above: A depiction of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling visualization of a vapor cloud explosion that GexCon has shared.
Below: An overhead view of the overpressure effects diagram of the blast pressure in psi units following the 2005 BP Refinery Texas City explosion. Souce: CSB BP incident investigation governmental study
