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Document ID SP-1190-1
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i Document Authorisation
Authorised For Issue
Document Authorisation
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ii Revision History
The following is a brief summary of the 4 most recent revisions to this document. Details of all revisions
prior to these are held on file by the issuing department.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
i Document Authorisation .......................................................................................................................... 3
ii Revision History....................................................................................................................................... 4
iii Related Corporate Management System (CMS) Documents ............................................................ 4
1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 7
1.1 Changes to the Specification .................................................................................................... 7
2 Hydrogen Sulphide (H2S) – The Basics.............................................................................................. 8
2.1 H2S Limits ................................................................................................................................. 8
2.1.1 Unpleasant Odour ........................................................................................................... 9
2.1.2 Eight (8) Hour Time Weighted Average (TWA)............................................................... 9
2.1.3 15 Minute Short Term Exposure Limit (STEL) ................................................................ 9
2.1.4 Emergency Planning ..................................................................................................... 10
2.1.5 Onset of Significant Health Effects ............................................................................... 10
2.1.6 Onset of Worker Fatalities ............................................................................................. 11
3 Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) - The Basics ...................................................................................................... 12
3.1.1 Unpleasant Odour ......................................................................................................... 13
3.1.2 8 Hour Time Weighted Average (TWA) ........................................................................ 13
3.1.3 15 Minute Short Term Exposure Limit (STEL) .............................................................. 13
3.1.4 Emergency Planning ..................................................................................................... 13
3.1.5 Onset of significant Health Effects ................................................................................ 13
3.1.6 Onset of worker Fatalities ............................................................................................. 14
4 H2S Facilities Classification ................................................................................................................... 15
4.1 H2S Classification Definitions – Sweet, Sour, Critical Sour .................................................... 15
4.2 Facility Classification entirety or part of facility ....................................................................... 18
4.3 SO2 or CO2 Classification ....................................................................................................... 19
5 Zoning of Sour & Critical Sour Facilities ................................................................................................ 20
5.1 Red and Yellow Zoning........................................................................................................... 20
5.2 Emergency Planning Zone (EPZ) Classification .................................................................... 20
5.3 SIMOPS Zoning (Simultaneous Operations) Classification ................................................... 20
5.4 Well Test Flaring Zoning ......................................................................................................... 21
6 Critical Sour & Sour Contract HSE Requirements ................................................................................ 22
7 Appendix A Glossary of Definitions, Terms and Abbreviations ............................................................. 23
7.1 General Definitions ................................................................................................................. 23
7.2 Key Terminology ..................................................................................................................... 23
7.3 Abbreviations .......................................................................................................................... 24
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1 Introduction
This document provides PDO with the basis required to understand the hazards associated with
encountering H2S and SO2 within its operations. It provides details of how PDO facilities are
classified with respect to the H2S levels, which then determines how the risks are managed.
There are special requirements for contracts which are let within Critical Sour and Sour facilities, and
these are included herein.
SP-1190 has been modified to standardise the approach taken to H2S and SO2 management within
the company, across the assets and directorates. This document SP-1190-1, fits into the structure
as noted below:
1190- 1 The Basics, Classification and Sour Contracts
Well Engineering
Engineering Design
Operations
H2S PPE and Training
The other documents in the series shall be consulted and applied where appropriate.
The development of this standard is based on a series of workshops which were conducted within
Petroleum Development Oman (PDO). These workshops were conducted to canvas the opinions of
those individuals who have a wide experience of working / designing for oil and gas infrastructure
which contains high levels of H2S, SO2 or other toxic substances. The output of the workshops is
summarised in SP-1190 Workshop Summary Technical Note, (PDO201408100001). The technical
note and earlier interviews are the basis for the update of this document.
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No significant adverse health effects are expected at the specified H2S concentration and time, i.e.
the dose.
Personal detectors in use within PDO, will track the H2S levels in the air and are set to alarm at
10ppm.
The fixed plant H2S detection system should also alarm at 10ppm, in line with DEP32.30.20.11 Fire
& Gas Detection.
If personal detector alarms, persons hold breath, don RPE & proceed to muster.
Table 2-2 ERPG Limits in use in PDO for H2S AIHA (2014)
Contaminant ERPG Level H2S (ppm)
ERPG-3 100
ERPG-2 30
PDO uses ERPG-2 as the internal concentration for defining Control Room impairment, and
calculation of Protection Factors for RPE..
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PDO uses 300 ppm as the level of concern for the Onset of Significant Health Effects for Hydrogen
Sulphide. This is the value used in determining the Simultaneous Operations (SIMOPS) zone.
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Table 3-1 identifies the limits which are put in place to understand and manage the associated
hazards. Further explanation of these limits is provided in the subsequent sections.
SP-1231 ‘HSE Specification for Occupational Health’ defines the use of the occupational exposure
limits (OELs) for all chemical and physical agents to be the Threshold Limit Values (TLVs). These
are defined in the latest annual edition of the American Conference of Governmental Industrial
Hygienists (ACGIH) and Biological Exposures Indices (BEI) booklet. Where a more stringent OEL
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is defined by local legislation or by PDO, the Corporate Industrial Hygienists will publish this within
SP-1231. For SO2, PDO use the ACGIH concentrations.
It should be noted that SO2 detectors, fixed / personal, shall be provided in the event that SO2
streams are processed on the facility.
Table 3-2 ERPG Limits in use in PDO for SO2 AIHA (2014)
Contaminant ERPG Level SO2
ERPG-3 (ppm) 25
ERPG-2 (ppm) 3
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20 25% (250,000)
<approaching 5 bar(a) H2S
≥ 100ppm Sour
partial pressure (PP) 50 10% (100,000)
100 5% (50,000)
The classification is based on the worst case process stream. A thorough review of the Heat &
Material balances should be conducted, to ensure that they are complete and accurate. The most
onerous H&MB composition, with respect to H2S partial pressure shall be used to determine the
classification of the facility. In addition see Section 4.2 and SP-1190-3.
Facilities which are predicted to become more sour over the facility lifetime, shall select the most
onerous composition for design as sour design requirements are extremely difficult, complicated
and high in personnel risk to retrofit.
Classification of the well fluids / process streams on the facilities shall be conducted once sampling
of the fluids has been conducted in accordance with PR-1080, and PR-1096.
The operational pressure and the composition of the process stream will determine the likely
distance to which the H2S hazard can extend. The H2S partial pressure for the gas stream is simply
calculated by multiplying the % H2S in the stream by the operating pressure in bar(a).
Non-gaseous streams are classified based on the mg/l of H2S contained within the liquid phase.
An earlier study was carried out on the Main Oil Line (MOL) in 2012, which assessed the likely
dispersion characteristics of a release from the line, taking account of the 27 different entry points
for fluids into the MOL.
This was based on a 22mm release resulting in a dispersed cloud having a concentration of less
than 300ppm at 2m, which is in line with the previous version of this standard. The results of the
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study are currently applied to the MOL. This revision of SP-1190, shall follow those requirements,
with respect to non gaseous fluids classification.
The work carried out for the MOL classification, identified that the likely dispersion of the gas
remaining within the liquids is based on a number of variables, such as TVP, temperature, and H 2S
concentration in the composition. Therefore each stream is likely to disperse different amounts of
gas, and this can be extremely difficult to model, especially at pressures close to atmospheric.
Closed samples shall be taken of the liquid streams, which contain H2S in order to demonstrate
compliance with the classification requirements.
Assets where the classification is based on the H2S concentration of the non-gaseous systems, and
where concern over H2S levels exist, such as samples recording levels close to 20mg/l, shall take
account of the likely error bands in the Garret Gas Train (GGT) sampling mechanism.
The temperature and the volatility of the fluids will impact the potential dispersion characteristics.
This can be significant especially in the case of pipelines, carrying export fluids, and therefore
dispersion calculations shall be the basis for classification.
The dispersion calculations are based on the following:
All dispersion calculations shall typically be conducted in compliance with the guidance provided in
SP-1258, QRA using Shell FRED and PR-2219. The calculations shall be based on the F2
meterological conditions, and an appropriate surface roughness for the site. In this particular case,
and only for the classification of facilities, in a variation from the SP-1258, Instantaneous sampling
should be used for these mixed fluids releases. Using instantaneous sampling is more
conservative, and shall be used for both on-plot and off-plot classification.
To summarise the facility shall be classified based on what is carried through its pipes & equipment,
rather than what the pipes and equipment are made of. The classification shall be recorded within
the relevant HSE Case. The Classification should also be provided to the Geomatics department
(XGG), to allow them to input it into PDO Earth.
The classification of a facility shall determine the level of controls which are required for a facility as
a whole.
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If a facility is classified as SWEET, no further application of this standard is required. However, the
classification exercise shall be formally recorded and levels of H2S shall be monitored, by site
sampling. The classification exercise should be re-assessed every 4 years, or in the event of a
significant fluid change.
The frequency of the sampling regime will be commensurate with the perceived risk, based on the
likely consequences of an increase in H2S concentrations to the facility materials of construction,
and the impact of a release at that location. It shall also be based on the management of historical
sampling data to measure any trends. Any increase in H2S levels, which result in a change in the
classification of the facility shall be fully evaluated. The evaluation shall take account of the
consequences on risks and management of such at the facility, in compliance with the Management
of Change Code of Practice (CP-206). The existing PR-1080 identifies that H2S measurements
should be taken as part of any well test.
A summary of the changes in the classification basis is noted in Section 8, Appendix B.
As noted in 2.1.4, 100ppm H2S is the Emergency Planning Requirement for concentration of H2S in
air. This is considered a level where personnel will be able to remove themselves from any incident
without additional measures, such as breathing apparatus. If there is less than 100ppm in the
process stream then any leak from the equipment to the atmosphere will be dispersed and will
result in concentrations much less than 100ppm, irrespective of the pressure of the contained fluids.
The pressure of the fluid will determine how far the dispersed components may travel, but it will
remain below the 100ppm level.
For the purpose of the design of new piping and equipment, or during a Management of Change
process, the design process fluid composition shall address the range of H 2S concentrations over
the lifetime of the facility.
Many facilities are operated worldwide with high concentrations of H 2S, however these are typically
operated at low pressure. As part of the Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) requirements for extracting
oil in Oman, PDO now operates facilities which have well fluids, process systems and gas injection
which have high levels of H2S, measured in terms of percentages, and very high operating pressures,
typically above 400 bar. Recent QRA’s conducted for PDO facilities, such as Birba, Al Noor and
Harweel have indicated that the risks to individuals for high H 2S partial pressure plants are at the
upper limit of tolerability (SP-1258 for further details). Therefore, a second tier of sour classification;
Critical Sour is required to capture the operational and design requirements, which leads to a step
change in the way that risks are managed due to the inherently high nature of the risk posed by
these operations.
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7.3 Abbreviations
ACGIH American Conference of NIOSH National Institute for Occupational Safety and
Governmental Industrial Hygienists Health
AEGL Acute Exposure Guideline Levels OEL Occupational Exposure Limit
AIHA American Industrial Hygiene PPM Parts Per Million
Association
BEI Biological Exposures Indices RPE Respiratory Protective Equipment
COSHH Control of Substances Hazardous SCBA Self Contained Breathing Apparatus
to Health Regulations
EPA Environmental Protection Agency SLOT Specified Level of Toxicity
(US)
EPZ Emergency Planning Zone STEL Short Term Exposure Limit
ERCB Energy Resources Conservation TLV Threshold Limit Values
Board
ERPG Emergency Response Planning TVP True Vapour Pressure
Guidelines
GGT Garret Gas Train TWA Time Weighted Average
IDLH Immediately Dangerous to Life & WEL Workplace Exposure Limit
Health
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95ppm
2.5
80ppm
release height (m)
70ppm
2 50ppm
40ppm
1.5 30ppm
20ppm
1 10ppm
5ppm
0.5
0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18
Release Distance (m)
Figure 9-1 Dispersion Contours for a 22mm release from a 100 bara system, with
internal H2S Concentration of 100ppm in methane
FRED dispersion calculations have been run to determine the likely level of H2S in air due to a 2mm
and 22mm release event from a 100ppm H2S concentration in a methane stream.
Figure 9-2 indicates the likely release distances to 5ppm and 10ppm contours based on the stream
release pressure.
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600
2mm 10ppm
400
22mm 5ppm
300
22mm 10ppm
200
100
0
0 10 20 30 40
distance (m)
Figure 9-2 Dispersion Distances of 100ppm H2S stream to 5ppm & 10ppm from 2mm &
22mm release size
Figure 9-3 and Figure 9-4 illustrate the distance which H2S can travel at low concentrations,
assuming a release from a 1% (10,000ppm) H2S stream, with varying operational pressure.
For example in Figure 9-3, a 2mm release of methane containing 10,000 ppm H2S, from a 100
bar(a) system, will disperse 5 ppm H2S to approximately 200m, while a 22mm release (as noted
Figure 9-4) with the same conditions will disperse 5ppmH2S to 5000 m distance.
It should be noted that for lower concentrations of H2S (such as 5ppm), and distances beyond 2-3
km, the dispersion should be reviewed using the ADMS tool.
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400
350
system pressure (bar)
300
150
100
50
0
0 100 200 300 400
distance (m)
Figure 9-3 Dispersion Distances of 1% H2S gas stream to 5ppm & 10ppm from 2mm
release
400
350
system pressure (bar)
300
150
100
50
0
0 5000 10000 15000
distance (m)
Figure 9-4 Dispersion Distances of 1% H2S gas stream to 5ppm & 10ppm from 22mm
release
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Figure 9-5 shows the impact of increasing partial pressure on dispersion distances to the 1,320ppm H 2S
contour. PDO assumes a 100% probability of fatality, when a concentration of 1,320ppm H 2S in air is
attained.
10
Release Height (m)
8 1 bara
2 bara
6
3bara
4 4bara
5bara
2 6bara
0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450
Distance(m) to 1320ppm H2S (100% Fatality Level)
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Comments:
Suggestions:
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