Lab

Contents

Project Risk Analysis (PRA): Unit Operations Lab Applications

Sponsor: Bruce Vaughen (Cabot Corporation)

Project Risk Analysis (PRA) is part of the OSHA Process Safety Management standard that considers both process-related hazards (e.g., fire, explosion, and toxic release) as well as other personnel safety-related hazards (e.g., noise, utilities, etc.). This SaChE product helps a lab instructor apply PRA in an undergraduate unit operations laboratory setting. Based on an industrial risk analysis approach, students document that they understand the potential hazardous events related to their project before experimental work begins based on an area tour; blank PRA check lists are provided. Whether students continue on to graduate school or begin their careers at an industrial site, this risk-based approach teaches tools that enhance students’ awareness of hazards to help ensure their safety when working in new and potentially hazardous environments.

This SAChE product includes:

• An overview of the information and its application (PRADescription.rtf),
• A detailed description of a risk analysis approach with applications to typical unit ops labs (PRAManual.doc, PRA Table 13.pdf, and PRA Table 14.pdf),
• Blank (Excel) tables that are used for each unit operations experiment considered (also available to students after logging into this site), and
• A PowerPoint presentation to introduce students to the concepts of PRA.

Improving Communication Skills

Sponsors: Robert M. Bethea and Sarah A. Brown (Texas Tech University)

This module is designed to supplement junior and senior chemical engineering courses in which written or oral reports about experiments or other assignments are integral components. Examples of the proper format and style of student written work are included throughout. The module contains four files: Read Me First (instructions for access and use), Outline (the resource guide), and two Appendices.

The Outline emphasizes accuracy and clarity; the effective use of audience analysis; proper organization of material to focus on the conclusion or objective; and format, mechanics, consistency, voice, and tone for all types of communications. Business and technical correspondence, resumes, and various types of written reports including in-text citations and bibliographies are included. Because of the process safety implications for unit operations laboratory courses and undergraduate and graduate research projects, the crafting of safe, efficient, and effective operating procedures is presented as a separate section. The topic of visual aids to support oral presentations emphasizes clear, concise illustrations. The material on oral presentations is designed to focus on the bottom line or conclusions. The use of audience analysis is emphasized as are presentation styles, mechanics, and delivery. The style handbook begins with an intensive review of the parts of speech and their uses. This material is followed by the basic rules of English grammar and is illustrated by several pages of common mistakes. The elements of style and the use of smooth transitions are emphasized.

Five sets of student exercises composed of material taken from old unit operations laboratory reports are included as Appendix 1; these exercises focus on punctuation, grammar, style, and editing. Corrected versions of the student exercises are included as Appendix 2 which should not be distributed to students.

Introduction to Biosafety

Sponsor: Art Schwartz (Bayer Corp., retired)

Biohazards are agents that are biological in nature and have the capability to cause harm to biological organisms. This module is intended to provide a brief overview of the area of BioSafety. A Powerpoint presentation provides an introduction to types of Biohazards and discusses sources of biohazards, classifications of biohazards by risk group, and methods of reducing risk from biohazards. Also discussed are Waste Handling and Universal Precautions. The module is oriented towards dealing with biohazards in a laboratory or clinical setting. Included with the module are several examples of Biosafety Manuals that are typically used in corporate (BiosafetyManual.zip) or public health organizations such as the US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Static Electricity as an Ignition Source

Sponsor: Konanur Manjunath (DOW Chemical)

This PowerPoint presentation covers the fundamentals of selected ignition sources and control methods with an emphasis on static electricity. The presentation was developed to make it easy to jump or return to the desired sections which are:

• Introduction and non-electrical ignition sources (fires, hot surfaces, and mechanically generated sparks)
• Electrically generated sparks and electrical area classifications
• Static electricity and electro-static charge generation
• The meaning of the term “relaxation time”
• Basics of grounding and bonding
• Charge dissipation in dusts (solids) and how it differs in metals and liquids
• Types of dust electro-static discharges
• Induction charging
• Summary

The chemical industry continues to have accidents due to static electricity. The CSB recently stated that “industry and safety professionals often lacked awareness of combustible dust hazards, and MSDSs ineffectively communicate to employers and workers the hazards of combustible dust explosions and ways to prevent them”. This presentation will help professionals become aware of static electricity as an ignition source and methods to prevent static charge buildup, thus reducing the potential for fires and explosions.

Runaway Reactions - Experimental Characterization and Vent Sizing

Sponsor: Ron Darby (Texas A&M University)

This module is an updated and revised version of the module entitled “A Unit Operations Laboratory Experiment for Runaway Reactions”, published by SACHE in 2001. The title has been changed to reflect the more general utility of the module for education, training and instruction of personnel in industrial, governmental or other laboratories who are concerned with the characterization and sizing of relief vents for runaway reactions, in addition to universities who would like to include this subject matter in lecture and/or laboratory courses concerned with process safety.

The Advanced Reactive Screening Tool (ARSST) is an easy to use and cost effective calorimeter that can be used to quickly and safely identify potential chemical reactivity hazards. It can also yield critical experimental data on the kinetic characteristics of runaway reactions that can be scaled up to full scale process conditions and can be used directly to estimate the size of a relief device that would be required to protect the reactor against the over-pressure that would result from a runaway reaction.

This instruction module describes the ARSST and its operation, and illustrates how this instrument can easily be used to experimentally determine the transient characteristics of runaway reactions, and how the resulting data can be analyzed and utilized to size the relief vent for such systems. It can also be easily incorporated into a Chemical Engineering Unit Operations Laboratory as an effective educational laboratory experiment utilizing a practical and physically realistic example reactive system.

Safe Handling Practices: Methacrylic Acid

Sponsor: Ronald J. Willey (Northeastern University)

This SACHE product introduces students to the hazards of handling acrylic monomers along with safe handling practices that are relevant for handling any monomer. Acrylic monomers have some unique challenges including being corrosive and combustible with the potential for unanticipated, uncontrolled exothermic runaway reactions. The product includes five files that give an excellent introduction for handling monomers:

• SACHE Product Introduction 2009: This describes the Rohm & Haas accident including a time line.
• Tank Car Video: This is a TV news report and and Rohm and Haas description of the tank car accident with methyacrylic acid that happened on July 22, 1988. (7 minutes)
• R&H Article: This is a description of an accident investigation method as applied to the Rohm & Haas accident.
• Acrylic Monomer Handling: This is a Rohm & Haas training presentation for safely handling acrylic monomers. Although the presentation is for acrylic monomers, the seven principles described are generally applicable for handling any monomer. European Bulletin: A Safe Handling Manual for methacrylic acid developed in Europe.

Note that a MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) and International Safety Card (containing NIOSH safety information) are included for methacrylic acid; since this information can become stale, updated information (available on the web) should be obtained when this instructional material is used.

Safety in the Chemical Process Industries

Sponsor: D.A. Crowl (Michigan Tech University)

This video series entitled "Safety in the Chemical Process Industries" presents a strong introduction to the application of chemical process safety technology in an actual chemical facility. All video material was taped at the Chemical Engineering Research Department at BASF Corporation in Wyandotte, Michigan. Most of the demonstrations are given using actual process equipment in the BASF Process Development (PD) facility.

This series is designed as instructional material for undergraduate students in chemical or mechanical engineering as well as industrial engineers or chemists who are being introduced to industrial safety for the first time. This series provides significant supplementary material for an existing undergraduate chemical engineering course on chemical process safety. This series was funded by the National Science Foundation and by BASF Corporation. 

Hyperlinks to streaming video sources are included in a word processing file (updated 31 January 2007). A Study Guide and Instructor's Guide were written to accompany the video, and both guides are included with this product.