Processing facilities containment

If produced gas contains water vapour it may have to be dried (dehydrated). Water condensation in the process facilities can lead to hydrate formation and may cause corrosion (pipelines are particularly vulnerable) in the presence of carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulphide. Hydrates are formed by physical bonding between water and the lighter components in natural gas. They can plug pipes and process equipment. Charts such as the one below are available to predict when hydrate formation may become a problem. 

A major consequence of the activities associated with the exploitation of mineral deposits (i.e., exploration, the development of mines and processing facilities, the extraction and concentration, which is also called beneficiation, of ores containing the desired minerals, and the decommissioning or abandonment of mine facilities) is the production of extremely large volumes of unwanted materials. Waste volumes vary from ca. 30% of the mass of the ore in the case of gypsum and other non-metals, to about 50% for base metals to more than 80% for strip-mined... 

Specific information on the handling of the processed fractions may also be included. Specific containers or types of containers may be required to minimize analytical interference. Sample identification numbers may be assigned in the protocol or may be generated by the processing facility. In either case, each processed fraction should have a unique identification number to reduce confusion at the processing facility and at the analytical laboratory where the residues will be determined. 

Ventilation System Blast Protection. The explosive containment rooms have the highest potential contamination level in the process facility. The punching and shearing that are part of the remote controlled disassembly operation result in the release of... 

All fixed fire suppression system control valves should be located out of the fire hazard area but still within reach of manual activation. For high hazard areas (such as offshore facilities), dual feeds to fire suppression systems should be considered from opposite areas. For onshore facilities, firewater isolation valve handles should not be contained within a valve pit or a below grade enclosure within the vicinity of hydrocarbon process facilities, since heavy process vapors travel from the process and may settle inside. 

Fires in process facilities usually follow a loss of containment. While the consequences of such fires are dependent upon a number of factors (weather, wind, leak orientation, etc.), the most significant are the ... 

Outdoor storage related to processing facilities can encompass a wide-range of chemicals including raw materials, intermediates, finished, and off-specification product in a variety of container types such as drums, portable and tote tanks, and intermodal tank containers. Materials, including spare, surplus, or salvaged equipment, are also stored outdoors. 

Inside battery limit (ISBL) is the limit of the processing facility and the equipment contained therein. 

An instrument which not only measures a variable, but also carries out further processing in order to refine the data obtained before presentation either to an observer or to some other stage of the system, is generally termed intelligent or smart. In practice, additional functions are usually available as well as the data-processing facility and these are all normally contained within the transmitter of the measuring device. These so-called smart transmitters are microprocessor-based and enable the device ... 

A HAZOP review method is suggested for the process when the following more complex facilities are under study. These facilities contain processes which typically are complex in nature, have chemical processes containing volatile hydrocarbons/toxic chemicals, or have high employee concentrations ... 

---