Chemical equipment, hazardous materials

Chemical and hazardous materials industry infrastructure includes substantial facility and equipment investment it is highly capital intensive. Most chemical industry facilities contain very specialized process equipment that would be difficult to replace quickly. A good example is an oil refinery plant, where if the cracking facilities were destroyed they could not be replaced anytime soon. It is interesting to note that some chemical industry facilities (e.g., oil refineries) require large amounts of land (have a large footprint) but are typically staffed with few employees relative to on-site land requirements. 

Chemical engineering involves planning and designing processes and equipment for chemicals. Because many chemicals are hazardous materials and many processes involve heat and flammable materials, chemical engineering education includes some focus on safety. The professional organization in the United States is the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE). It also operates the Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS). 

Included ia the OSHA regulations are standards for safe work practices such as lock-out/tag-out and confined space entry, personal protective equipment, storage of hazardous materials, welding process, forklift operation, and requirements for fire protection. Basically, all activities within a chemical facihty are covered by OSHA standards. 

In general, DOT safety regulations fall into two categories. The first pertains to qualifications and hours of service of carrier employees and the safety of transport operations and equipment. The second, of special concern to the chemical industry, pertains to the transportation of hazardous materials and related commodities. 

Laboratoiy procedures may need to be evaluated against the sampling techniques and materials involved in the toll. There may be new laboratoiy chemicals and hazards to be considered. This work may have been identified in the evaluation of special analytical techniques required for the process. A good practice is to ensure that the lab technicians have the necessaiy guidance and types of equipment on hand to monitor the process and waste streams accurately and safely. 

Record potential pollutant sources in the building. Note the locations of major sources. Major sources such as large items of equipment can be recorded on the floor plan. Record the names and locations of chemicals or hazardous substances used or stored within the building, such as those that may be contained in cleaning materials, biocides, paints, caulks, and adhesives. Ask your suppliers to provide you with Material Safety Data Sheets. You may be unaware of the potential hazards... 

Health Hazards Information - Information included are recommended personal protective equipment for hazard materials handling specialist, typical symptoms following exposure to the chemical, general first aid treatment procedures, and various toxicological information including toxicity by ingestion, inhalation and short term exposures. Additional information included are the liquid or solid irritant characteristics and odor threshold data. 

Raw material and in-process storage tanks and pipelines often represent a major portion of the risk of a chemical plant. Attention to the design of storage and transfer equipment can reduce hazardous material inventory. 

The fine chemicals business is characterized by a small volume of products manufactured. Therefore, batch production predominates and small-scale reactors are used. The need to implement fine chemistry processes into existing multiproduct plants often forces the choice of batch reactors. However, safety considerations may lead to the choice of continuous processing in spite of the small scale of operation. The inventory of hazardous materials must be kept low and this is achieved only in smaller continuous reactors. Thermal mnaways are less probable in continuous equipment as proven by statistics of accidents in the chemical industries. For short reaction times, continuous or semicontinuous operation is preferred. 

The main business of most chemical companies is to manufacture products by means of controlled chemical reactions. The reactivity that makes chemicals useful can also make them hazardous. Chemical reactions are usually carried out without mishap, but sometimes they get out of control because of problems such as the wrong or contaminated raw material being used, changed operating conditions, unanticipated time delays, failed equipment, incompatible materials of construction, or loss of temperature control. Such mishaps can be worse if the chemistiy under both normal and abnormal conditions is not fully understood. Therefore, it is essential that chemical process designers and operators understand the nature of the reactive materials andchemistry involved and what it takes to control intended reactions and avoid unintended reactions throughout the entire life cycle of a process facility. 

Hazardous Materials Response Team(s) Establish the HazMat Group, and Provide Technical information/Assistance to Command, EMS Providers, Hospitals, and Law Enforcement. Detect/Monitor to Identify the Agent, Determine Concentrations and Ensure Proper Control Zones. Continually Reassess Control Zones, Enter the Hot Zone (with chemical personal protective clothing) to Perform Rescue, Product Information, and Reconnaissance. Product Control/Mitigation may be implemented in Conjunction with Expert Technical Guidance. Improve Hazardous Environments Ventilation, Control HVAC, Control Utilities. Implement a Technical Decontamination Corridor for Hazardous Materials Response Team (HMRT) Personnel. Coordinate and Assist with Mass Decontamination. Provide Specialized Equipment as Necessary. Assist Law Enforcement Personnel with Evidence Preservation/Collection, Decontamination. 

Decontamination The physical and/or chemical process of reducing and preventing the spread of contamination from persons and equipment used at a hazardous materials incident. 

The U.S. Department of Justice also has two very necessary reports for first responder organizations and hazardous materials response teams. The first such report is entitled An Introduction to Biological Agent Detection Equipment for Emergency First Responders the second such report is entitled Guide for the Selection of Chemical and Biological Detection Equipment for Emergency First Responders. Both are available online at http //www.ojp. usdoj.gov. 

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Equipment, provided to shield or isolate a person from the chemical, physical, and thermal hazards that may be encountered at a hazardous materials incident and should include protection for the respiratory system, skin, eyes, face, hands, feet, head, body, and hearing. 

When an explosive device is used to disperse radioactive, chemical, or biological materials, the treatment of casualties is more difficult because of the presence of contamination. In this situation, emergency responders could face a life-threatening situation unless appropriate precautions are taken. These precautions include using screening instruments (see Section 6.12) to assess hazard conditions before responding, then selecting the appropriate level of personal protective equipment (see Section 6.7) to provide protection from the hazard. 

Wet chemical approaches are easier to replicate as they generally do not require dedicated equipment, although occasionally hazardous materials are used. Conversely, gas phase hybridization requires dedicated facilities which are not available to all researchers. Gas phase and electrochemical deposition require the nanocarbon to be surface bound so are best used when the nanocarbon is prepared in this fashion. 

The amount of hazardous chemicals on-site can be reduced by methods other than altering the scale of production. For example, the amount of hazardous material stored on-site can often be significantly reduced, and if not, the hazardous materials can be stored in many small containers in separate facilities rather than in a single container. Therefore, if a container fails, the size and catastrophic potential of the release are much reduced. In addition, the amount of material needed in the production process can be reduced by using specially designed equipment (such as Higee columns, which replace conventional distillation columns). 

Maintenance. Good plant maintenance (qv) obviates the crash shutdowns that could follow failure of critical components. Maintenance in the chemical industry differs from that in other industries because of the nature of the materials, processes, and types of equipment used. Because much chemical work involves the movement of fluids, gases, and powdered solids from one piece of equipment to another, many pipelines (qv), conveyors, forklift tmcks, and other material-handling devices are used. Containers are more likely to be tanks, drums, or some form of closed container than in other industries. Prior to maintenance inside equipment, all lines and equipment containing hazardous materials should be effectively separated, disconnected, blanked, or purged in order to minimize the possibility of release of harmful materials. Maintenance personnel must make sure that all equipment and piping is so prepared. 

Since the chemical industry operates by handling potentially hazardous materials safely, safety has always been an important consideration for chemical engineers. Engineers have never been able to discharge their professional responsibility only by designing efficient equipment or developing efficient processes. Today society has expanded that traditional responsibility to include environmental and community protection. The chemical industry s operations and products should not have an unacceptable impact upon its neighbors, its customers, or the environment. 

Reducing the size of chemical processing equipment enhances safety in two ways. The quantity of hazardous material that can be released in case of equipment leakage or rupture is obviously smaller if the equipment is smaller. In addition,... 

---