Fire, environmental impact

The issues in these evaluations are safety as related to toxicity and flammability, environmental impact as related to the generation of volatile organic compounds and global warming, product performance as related to insulating properties, conformity to fire codes, and the like, cost and availability, and regulatory requirements. 

This is mainly applicable to equipment and other technical failures. It also considers areas such as loss of containment, environmental impact, fires, and explosions. 

The Chemical Process Industry (CPI) uses various quantitative and qualitative techniques to assess the reliability and risk of process equipment, process systems, and chemical manufacturing operations. These techniques identify the interactions of equipment, systems, and persons that have potentially undesirable consequences. In the case of reliability analyses, the undesirable consequences (e.g., plant shutdown, excessive downtime, or production of off-specification product) are those incidents which reduce system profitability through loss of production and increased maintenance costs. In the case of risk analyses, the primary concerns are human injuries, environmental impacts, and system damage caused by occurrence of fires, explosions, toxic material releases, and related hazards. Quantification of risk in terms of the severity of the consequences and the likelihood of occurrence provides the manager of the system with an important decisionmaking tool. By using the results of a quantitative risk analysis, we are better able to answer such questions as, Which of several candidate systems poses the least risk Are risk reduction modifications necessary and What modifications would be most effective in reducing risk ... 

Of major concern are the health and environmental impacts of the abundant chlorinated and brominated hydrocarbons (ref. 2). These materials have numerous industrial applications as pesticides, solvents, propellants, refrigerants, plastics, fire retardants and extinguishers, disinfectants for drinking water, pharmaceuticals and electronic chemicals. Many chemical manufacturers utilize chlorinated and brominated organics as intermediates. It is estimated, for instance, that almost 85 % of the pharmaceuticals produced in the world require chlorine at some stage of synthesis. 

The formulation is non-toxic, non-hazardous, and biodegradable (5 Z > D so that it may be safely used in situations where an adverse contaminant might have a large environmental impact. It has also been successfully used in three-dimensional fires, such as warehouse protection and airplane hanger systems, and as a spill fume suppressant on hydrocarbons and on oleum ( ). 

In the beginnings of the petroleum industry, usually very limited safety features for fire or explosion protection were provided, as was evident by the many early blowouts and fires. The industry became known as a "risky" operation, not only for economic returns, but also for safety (loss of life and property destruction) and environmental impacts, although this was not well understood at the time. 

The following is a brief selective listing of major worldwide fire and explosion incidents within the hydrocarbon and chemical industries during the last 25 years (1970 - 1994), both onshore and offshore. Numerous smaller incidents have been recorded that are not listed here but may be studied in other references. Where the number of fatalities has been reported in public accounts they are listed next to the financial loss. Financial losses are direct property damage losses and do not include business interruption, legal, or environmental impacts. 

Halon systems were the ideal fire suppression agent before their implications of environmental impact due to ozone depletion. The industry is gradually phasing out usage of halon systems for this reason. A flowchart to analyze mechanisms to supplement or eliminate Halon systems for electrical or computer processing areas is shown in Figure 11. Some of the prime reasons to eliminate the use of Halon systems is that the facility may be constantly manned with a relatively low fire risk. Other facilities may have a very low combustible load and can be supplemented by highly sensitive fire detection means, such as a VESDA fire detection system. 

Halon - As employed in the fire protection industry, a gaseous fire suppression agent. Halon is an acronym for halogenated hydrocarbons, commonly bromotrifluoromethane (Halon 1301) and bromochlorodifluoro-methane (Halon 1211). Considered obsolete for fire protection purposes due to a possible environmental impact to the Earth s atmospheric ozone layer and beginning to be phased out or eliminated. 

The Texas Transportation Institute has just completed a very extensive two year FHWA sponsored program to look into other aspects of safety and environmental impact of sulfur-asphalt construction [53]. A number of typical sulfur-asphalt and sulfur-concrete paving systems were evaluated to assess their potential environmental impact and establish safety considerations relative to their formulation, construction and maintenance. The environmental impact was investigated from the formulation stages, through weathering, and included considerations of simulated fires and chemical spills. 

Section 3 - Environmental Aspects. An environmental impact statement is needed. This will include a list or diagram showing all effluents and wastes (including packaging), and a description of how they will be disposed of, controlled and monitored. A check is also made on whether special mechanisms could result in loss of containment and environmental damage (such as earthquake, flood, wind, storm, fire and fire water run-off). 

The environmental impact of waste disposal and of chemical use in Europe has led to three legislative actions that, in today s global economy, greatly affect flame-retardant use and research. These actions go by the acronyms of RoHS (Reduction of Hazardous Substances), WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment), and REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation, and Restriction of Chemical substances). These actions are discussed in detail in Chapter 22, but need to be mentioned here as they are clear examples of how changing regulations affect flame-retardant use, selection, and new fire-safety developments. The first one, RoHS, refers to how new items are manufactured, and specifically bans chemicals and elements of environmental and toxicological concern in Europe. One fall-out item of RoHS is the move from a lead-based solder on circuit... 

WEEE has had a direct affect on flame-retardant use, because flame retardants are used in almost all electrical and electronic equipment to prevent fires from short circuits. This directive lays down rules for disposal and recycling of all electrical and electronic equipment that goes back to the previous incinerator discussion. For flame retardants, this directive affects how the plastic parts, cable jackets, and enclosures are flame retarded. If the plastic cannot be reground and recycled, it must go to the incinerator, in which case it cannot form toxic by-products during incineration. This has led to the rapid deselection of brominated FR additives in European plastics that are used in electronics, or the complete removal of FR additives from plastics used in electronics in Europe. This led, in turn, to increases in electrical fires in Europe, and now customers and fire-safety experts demand low environmental impact and fire safety. However, the existing nonhalogen flame-retardant solutions brought in to replace bromine have their own balance-of-property issues, and so research continues to develop materials that can meet WEEE objectives. 

Besides the actions taken by the EU regulating bodies, an independent industrially supported thorough risk assessment has been planned and is still under execution on commercial halogenated fire retardants to assess their toxicity and environmental impact. 

Widiyanto, A., Kato, S., Maruyama, N., and Kojima, Y., Environmental impact of fossil fuel fired co-generation plants using a numerically standardized LCA scheme, J. Energy Resource Technol., 125, 9-16, 2003. 

This priority order ensures that co-combustion of waste is only possible in case the waste cannot be re-used or when formation cannot be avoided. Each plan for cocombustion of waste in coal-fired power plants is therefore tested on its order in priority. An Environmental Impact Study is often mandated or desired by the national administration and/or regional authorities, who discuss and compare the possibilities for reutilization and alternative processing routes (for exanqile by means of a Life Cycle Analysis) (KEMA, 1999). 

In addition to carbon sequestration, technologies that would provide economic benefits include those that enhance oil recovery, produce coalbed methane, and maintain pressures in depleted gas reservoirs to avoid surface subsidence. Currently, companies in the United States sell one billion standard cubic feet of C02 each day, or approximately the C02 output from one conventional coal-fired electric power plant with a power capacity of 2300 MW. This C02 is used economically and with little or no environmental impact for approximately 70 enhanced oil recovery projects and for other industrial applications. Pipeline specifications for C02 quality, pipeline safety issues, and custody of the C02 have a base of industrial experience that goes back to the 1970s. Today, there are operating C02 pipelines of up to 760 mm (30 inches) in diameter and 640 km (400 miles) in length (Fig. 6-6). 

Even with an aggressive energy conservation program, the growing population will continue to demand increasing amounts of electricity. Identify and describe the environmental impacts, both positive and negative, of the two means of power generation coal-fired steam boilers and nuclear power. 

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