March 2019 | AIChE

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March 2019

ESC "Show-and-Tell" Video Challenge: Universidad Industrial de Santander

March 11, 2019
June 14, 2019

Meet chapter members from Colombia's Universidad Industrial de Santander in the latest video.

ESC "Show-and-Tell" Video Challenge: Texas A&M University

March 11, 2019
May 2, 2019

Meet Texas A&M students and learn about the AIChE Student Chapter's sophomore retreat.

Organizing Committee

Chairs: Charles Paul , VP, Technology, Henkel Adhesives Charles Roe , CTO, Co-Founder, AlgiSys Wayne Tamarelli , Owner and President, AWT Private Investments Organizing Committee: Eric Breese , Evonik Venture Capital Mark DeGrandpre, Head of Physical Sciences, Ben Franklin Technology Partners Jim...

Equipment Filling and Mixing - Reference Materials

CSB Case Study No. 2017-01-I-KS:

  • Key Lessons for Preventing Inadvertent Mixing During Chemical Unloading Operations

Published December, 2017

 

CCPS Safety Beacon:

  • What if you unload the wrong material into a tank?

April 2012

 

CCPS Safety Beacon:

  • Toxic Reaction in Sewer is Fatal

August 2005

Equipment Filling and Mixing - Incidents

  1. Inadvertent mixing of sulfuric acid and sodium hypochlorite produced a cloud containing chlorine and other compounds. The cloud impacted workers onsite and members of the public in the surrounding community. The incident occurred during a routine chemical delivery of sulfuric acid from a chemicals cargo tank vehicle (CTMV) at the MGPI facility tank farm.                           

Equipment Filling and Mixing - Common Program Practices

  • Non-routine work increases process risk and can directly lead to conditions that make a catastrophic accident much more likely.
  • Safe work practices are critical elements in the management of non-routine work.
  • Safe work practices include an integrated management system of policies, procedures and permits that help protect workers from hazards and prevent the sudden release of process materials or energy during non-routine work activities.

Equipment Filling and Mixing - Possible Work Flow

 

Person-in-Charge

Is responsible for the Operation of the Plant. This is typically a Site Manager whose responsibilities include:

Equipment Filling and Mixing - Strategies & Effective Practices to Manage and Mitigate Hazards

Hazard Identification

  • Identify chemicals that are incompatible if mixed.
  • Identify places/opportunities when incompatible chemicals may be wrongly interacted and manage their confinements.
  • Avoid using the incompatible chemicals, if possible, in the process as part of Inherently Safer Design. Use alternate compatible chemicals.
  • Maintain chemicals and materials interaction matrix. 
 

Human Factors – Design of Chemical Transfer Equipment

    Equipment Filling and Mixing - Potential Hazardous Consequences

    Property Damage (Fire / Explosion)

    • Contact of incompatible chemicals may lead to uncontrolled reactions, leading to rupture of the vessel or piping system resulting in fire and explosions.
    • Damage to assets
    • Damage to buildings/houses in nearby community
     

    Personal Injury (Safety / Human Health)

    Equipment Filling and Mixing - Need / Call to Action

    Incidents Continue to Happen

    “High risk operations, like the delivery and handling of hazardous chemicals, require strict adherence to safety protocols. An inadvertent mixture can result in a chemical reaction with extremely dangerous consequences. Our findings reaffirm the need for facilities to pay careful attention to the design and operation of chemical transfer equipment to prevent similar events.”

    – CSB Chairperson Vanessa Allen Sutherland

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