Hydrocarbon Processing - December 2021 - 59

Environment and Safety
and documented safety processes onsite, such as HAZOP reviews.
The reasons may vary, but it often comes down to a
simple misunderstanding by site leadership, which often believes
that reliability is meant to decrease maintenance costs and
increase availability, not address safety concerns. Regardless of
where this misconception comes from, the clear and striking
distinction between reliability and safety only works to lessen
the impact of either initiative.
A reduction in unplanned failure events, along with the systematic
processes used to eliminate root causes of failure, can also
help to track and improve other metrics related to equipment,
including personnel safety risks. Many reliability processes can
be applied directly to identify, analyze and mitigate safety risks.
For example, the following case study examines a distillation
column system (FIG. 3). As with most static equipment
systems, the distillation column system has several sources of
risk, including:
* Financial risks represented by the production losses
associated with system downtimes and maintenance
costs to repair the functionally failed equipment
* Safety risks related to processing hazardous and
flammable fluids; fugitive emissions can lead to
potential environmental reporting
Most operating areas are proficient at ensuring that regulatory
inspections are followed for pressure vessels, thereby
reducing the risk of atmospheric leaks, fires and explosions.
HAZOP studies and other processes may even identify the
Motor control center
Motor
FIG. 3. Distillation column system.
Pump
Distillation
column
need for design changes in equipment to meet evolving HSE
standards, such as a tandem seal design in the overhead and
bottoms pumps, as shown in FIG. 3.
With these existing processes in place, it seems like there
is little room for reliability tools (such as root cause analysis,
FMEA and precision maintenance practices) to have a significant
impact. When applied correctly, however, the targeted
Condenser
Reflux drum
Motor control
center
Pump Motor
Overhead product
Reboiler
Bottoms product
ON DEMAND WEBCAST
Jean-Francois Borny
Analytical Service Manager
Lummus Technology
Plastic Pyrolysis Oil Analysis
Plastic waste conversion technology based on thermal pyrolysis will help reduce
plastic waste through integrated processing solutions for turning end-of-life
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Technology is at the forefront of this technology and the analytical support needed
to make it successful.
This presentation will focus on the hydrocarbon analysis of multiple samples from
diff erent plastic waste starting feeds and the power of the spectral analysis that GCVUV
provides.
Listen for Free:
HydrocarbonProcessing.com/Webcasts
Mike Rhodes
Managing Editor
Hydrocarbon Processing
Hydrocarbon Processing | DECEMBER 2021 59
http://www.HydrocarbonProcessing.com/Webcasts
Hydrocarbon Processing - December 2021

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