A Process Safety Management Company

Author: jbrancheau

Provenance Consulting > Articles by: jbrancheau

2015 MKOPSC Symposium

October 22, 20150

MKOPSC

Provenance Consulting is excited to share our involvement next week at the 2015 Mary Kay O’Connor Process Safety Center International Symposium in College Station, Texas. We look forward to this event every year, and meeting professionals that are as passionate about Process Safety as us. Like always, you can expect this symposium to have experts from around the world that will have extensive knowledge over process safety services within the industry, academia, and government agencies.

We would like to welcome you to visit our booth, space #4, in the exhibitor ballroom area. We will have great giveaways and information regarding our various services. We look forward to seeing you there and getting the opportunity to visit with you!

Learn more.

 

AIChE’s 2015 Spring Meeting and 11th Global Congress on Process Safety

April 24, 20150

Provenance Consulting is excited to share our involvement next week at AIChE’s Global Congress on Process Safety in Austin, TX. Provenance will be giving four presentations at the conference and will also be at booth #420 in the exhibit area – so please stop by and see us! Below is a brief summary of each presentation.

We look forward to seeing you in Austin!

Monday, 27 April

Can I Use My Cooling Water Header As a Relief Device?

Rahul Raman, 11:30am

The ASME BPVC is a well-recognized code of construction and allows pipe that discharges to the atmosphere as an acceptable pressure relief device. However, there are safety considerations and industry guidance that restrict the use of using a cooling water side of heat exchanger specifically as a relief device. This presentation interprets the landscape of existing regulatory framework to show the industry regarding the ways to use it as a relief device and the underlying assumptions for such use.

Overfilling Protection for Weak Tanks

Rahul Raman, 2:30pm

Weak tanks have relief valves that are typically sized for vapor/gas service. These tanks are subject to overflowing and collapse due to the pressure force. Minimal amounts of liquid is enough to over-pressurize the tank. Currently there is no industry guidance to size a relief device for such low pressure tanks. Furthermore, there is a lack of data from the manufacturers. Provenance has tag-teamed with PROTEGO® to establish a methodology and vetted it with experimental data. Using conventional available tools for engineers, we have developed a methodology to accurately predict the capacity within a +/- 10% error tolerance.

 Tuesday, 28 April

Developing Credible Scenarios for a PHA

Nestor Paraliticci, 2:30pm

OSHA’s Compliance Guidelines and Recommendations for the PSM Standard states “A PHA is an organized and systematic effort to identify and analyze the significance of potential hazards associated with the processing or handling of highly hazardous chemicals.” It goes on to say “A PHA is directed toward analyzing potential causes and consequences of fires, explosions, releases of toxic or flammable chemicals and major spills of hazardous chemicals.” OSHA does not give any additional guidance; they just refer you to 18 additional “Sources of Further Information”. So rather than spending your free time reading these books, I would like to present a process on how to develop scenarios (causes and consequences), tips on creating credible and realistic scenarios and the pitfalls to avoid during the process, commonly encountered during a PHA .

Wednesday, 29 April

Guidance for Sizing Relief Devices That Are Installed below Liquid Level in an External Fire

Rahul Raman, 8:30am

A fire impinging on a pressure vessel results in boiling up of the liquid and generates vapor that needs to be relieved though a pressure relief valve. Due to geometry or maintenance reasons a relief valve can be installed below the liquid level. In this scenario the vapor pushes hot saturated liquid and has a potential to flash as it flows across the relief system piping. This paper gives the guidance to size relief valve that are installed in such service.

Overpressure Protection and the Relation to Regulations, Codes, and Standards

April 17, 20150

Most professionals in the industry understand the fundamental importance of overpressure protection and the basics of pressure relief valves. However, many cannot dedicate the time to understand the history or intricacies of overpressure protection implementation. For instance, what can we consider to be a “relief device” and where do we look to be certain?

Join Justin Phillips — a relief systems engineer from Provenance Consulting — to gain a better understanding of pressure relieving systems. This free live webinar takes place on Wednesday, April 22 2015, from 1:00 – 2:00pm CST.

In this webinar, the audience will be given a roadmap that links regulatory requirements to codes of construction onto industry practices and standards. By linking these things together, the audience will be better able to understand the philosophy of regulations and will be able to reference the appropriate regulations and code requirements readily.

If you are an engineer or technical professional working with pressurized vessels, boilers, this is your opportunity to better understand the Whys and Hows of overpressure protection.

To register for the AICHE hosted event, follow the link here.

 

Selected Pressure Relief Systems Heuristics Live Webinar

August 21, 20140

Please join Provenance on Wednesday, 27 August 2014 at 1:00pm CST for our last AIChE-hosted webinar of 2014! As an extension to the January relief systems presentation, this webinar will highlight heuristics for a few common overpressure scenarios including blocked pump outlet, low-pressure vent piping losses, fire relief, and more.

Estimating relief loads for pressure relieving systems is usually straight-forward with clear guidelines provided in company standards and elsewhere. Regardless, sometimes the correct technique is not applied, which can lead to gross under- or over-estimation of required relief rates and capacities even for the most common overpressure scenarios.

If you are interested in attending simply register here. To ensure that you receive the log-in information the morning of the webinar, please sign up at least one day in advance.

How Process Engineers are Impacted by Mechanical Integrity

April 23, 20140

Process Engineers are instrumental to the design, production, and safe operation of oil, gas and petrochemical facilities. Of equal criticality is the Mechanical Integrity department, which helps contribute to the continuing availability and safe operation of the equipment residing in the facility. Although these functions are often viewed as separate and distinct activities, there are several areas in which the Process Engineering department’s activities are dependent upon, or in some cases driven by, the activities of the Mechanical Integrity team.

As a piece of equipment progresses through the various stages of the equipment life cycle, there are a number of points at which awareness and communication between the Mechanical Integrity and Process Engineering groups is paramount. The equipment life cycle consists of the following stages: Pre-Operation, Operation, Modification, and Decommissioning. At each stage, the Mechanical Integrity and Process Engineering departments impact, or are impacted by, the activities performed by its counterpart.

This presentation will explore these interactions. By increasing awareness of how the Mechanical Integrity department is engaged throughout the equipment life cycle, the Process Engineer can better understand and plan for these interactions in his or her daily work.

Join Jon Snyder – a mechanical integrity expert – for this 60 minute webinar on Wednesday, April 30, 2014, 1:00 – 2:00pm CT. 

If you are interested in attending simply register here. To ensure that you receive the log-in information the morning of the webinar, please sign up at least one day in advance.