CDB4623/CEB4523

Designs for Process Safety

Lecture Week 2A_Sept 2021

Inherently Safer Design Overview
Friday (17/9/2021)
5.00 P.M. - 7.00 P.M.
 At the end of the lecture, you should be able to:

Course Learning Understand the Inherent Safety Principles and ISD

Strategies
Outcomes
Apply the ISD Strategies in Process Design
 Inherently Safer Design Principles

Definition and regulatory

initiatives

Topic 2A Outline Principles of Inherent

Safety
History of Inherently Safer
Design Professor
Trevor
'Founding father' of safety
in the chemical industry Kletz
Authors of numerous Inherent Safety
process safety books What you don’t have, can’t
leak (1978)
Inherently Safer Design - Definition

Inherent
Existing in something as a permanent and
inseparable element

Inherently Safer Design

Inherent safety is a concept, an approach
to safety that focuses on eliminating or
reducing the hazards associated with a set
of conditions (CCPS, 2008)

Hazard
Inherently Safer Design - Principles

Substitute use less hazardous materials, chemistry, and processes

use the smallest quantity of hazardous materials feasible for the process,
Minimize reduce the size of equipment operating under hazardous conditions, such as
high temperature or pressure

reduce hazards by dilution, refrigeration, process alternatives that operate at

Moderate less-hazardous conditions; reduce potential impact of an accident by siting
hazardous facilities remotely from people and other property; or

Simplify eliminate unnecessary complexity, design “user-friendly” plants

Source : The Use and Storage of Methyl Isocyanate (MIC) at Bayer CropScience (2012)
Inherently Safer Design and Risk
Recap the definition of risk

ISD can be used to

reduce :
- Consequence
- Frequency / Probability
Inherently Safer Design and Risk

Avoid Hazard Through alternative process

(1st order ISD) designs (substitute)

Reduce Consequence of Risk Substitute, minimize,

(2nd orderISD) moderate
Reduce hazard
(2nd order)
Reduce Likelihood of Risk
Simplify
(2nd orderISD)

First Order – A change that results in the highest degree of risk reduction possible by
employing an ISD strategy for the elimination of a hazard.

Second Order – Risk reduction that is less than First Order and varies in risk reduction
(treat the hazard by making it less intense or less likely to occur).
Implementing Inherent Safety

Knowledge of the process

Best time to implement

inherent safety - Earliest
as possible
Opportunities for
IMPORTANT: Inherent
installing
add on features safety can be considered
throughout the process
Opportunities for installing
inherently safer features
lifecycle

Hurme, M. and M. Rahman (2005). "Implementing inherent safety throughout process lifecycle." Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries 18 : 238 244.
Implementing Inherent Safety

Process Lifecycle

Adapted from: CCPS/AIChE 2009). Inherently Safer Chemical Processes A Life Cycle Approach
Implementing Inherent Safety
Conceptual process research and development:
selection of basic process technology, raw materials, intermediate products, by
products and waste products, chemical synthesis routes.

Process research and development:

selection of specific unit operations, types of reactors and other processing
equipment, selection of operating conditions, recycle, product purification,
waste treatment.

Preliminary plant design:

location of manufacturing facility, location of units on a selected site, size and
number of production lines, size of raw material, intermediate, and product
storage facilities, selection of specific equipment types for the required unit
operations, process control philosophy.
Implementing Inherent Safety
Detailed plant design:
size of all equipment, pressure rating and detailed design of all equipment and
piping, inventory in processing equipment, location of specific equipment in the
plant, length, route, and size of piping, utility design, layout of equipment,
detailed control system design, plant operator interface design.

Operation:
identification of opportunities to modify plant to enhance inherent safety
(reduce inventory, upgrade with more modern equipment, identify
opportunities for inherently safer operation based on improved process
understanding), consideration of inherently safer design when making
modifications and changes, ‘user-friendly’ operating instructions and
procedures.
Important Consideration

Require Holistic Assessment

It is important to understand how changes in

one area can impact other areas. The result
can be a less safe plant.

“Are you really designing inherently safer process or are

you transferring the risk?"
Challenges of Implementing IS

Lack of The need for Collaboration among

03 research and government, industry,
implementation in
development and academia
industry
Evaluation and comparison of
02 Conflicts alternative designs - constraints
on technical and economic factors

Lack of methodology that is

Measurement
01 suitable to be used at the early
methodology stage of process design
How to Promote ISD in the
Future?
Measurement
3 Consideration of all hazards, risk transfer
Decision tools for ISD

Research
Chemical engineering: Process intensification,
2
Understanding of chemical processes
Chemistry: Development of greener and safer
technologies, from raw materials to by-products

Education
1 Safety awareness of chemists, engineers
Incorporate ISD as a way of thinking. Eliminate rather than
control the hazards
Thank you Self Check

Question?

Are you able to describe
inherent safety principles?

Are you able to elaborate on

suitable ISD strategies for
different stages in the process
lifecycle?
 Learning Materials Distribution
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