AICHE X-123 PDF

OVERVIEW

Prevention of a Major Accidental Release

Prevention of a major accidental release of hazardous materials from a CPI/HPI facility requires proper design, construction to standard, safe operation and management surveillance. An emergency relief system design strategy, which seeks to prevent a major accidental release, should include iterative considerations of hazards and initiating event identification, assessment of risk and mitigation of consequences. Cost effective loss prevention requires an optimizing strategy to prevent, moderate (relieve) and contain a runaway reaction. This iterative three-step assessment approach to emergency relief system design will minimize the potential €or unacceptable risk of a major accidental release of hazardous materials to the environment.

Emergency Relief System Design

Emergency relief system is a multifaceted problem. Of particular significance is whether the relief system must be designed for single or two-phase vaporliquid flow. Generally, two-phase flow requires a larger relief area than all vapor or subcooled liquid flow. Containment and mitigation of consequences also depend upon a definition of the vapor-liquid phase ratio of the discharged material. Ensuring that an emergency relief system design will either avoid or accommodate two-phase vapor-liquid flow is of particular importance.