Chemical Process Safety Loss Prevention (CHE 617)

A One-Semester, Professional Elective Course

Department of Chemical Engineering
Ryerson University

Course Information Fall 2015

Instructor

Dr. Huu Doan

Email: hdoan@ryerson.ca

Course Schedule

Tuesday 8:00 10:00 am ENGLG 24

Thursday 2:00 3:00 pm EPH441

Office Hour

TBD

Prerequisites

CHE 323

KHS 241-L

ext. 6341

Corequisites

COURSE DESCRIPTION
A study of process safety and loss prevention for chemical industry. Evaluation of sources of fire and
explosion and prevention methods. Emphasis will be on techniques and equipment used in industry to
detect, to control and to prevent hazardous conditions in chemical processes. Toxic release and dispersion
models, and risk assessment are also included.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
This course has the following learning objectives1 for the students:
1. Demonstrate, integrate, and apply specialized sub-disciplines and /or interdisciplinary

engineering principles to systems or processes (1d): Integration of chemical hazards and

potential accidents, cause and effect, to chemical processes. This covered in topics 1, 2 and 3.
2. Evaluate sources of information (2a): this covered by the term project reports on various
aspects of chemical process safety and loss prevention along with case study of various
industrial accidents in the past.
3. Apply mathematical and scientific principles to predict behaviour of systems or processes
(3b): Mathematical and scientific principles on fire and explosion, fluid dynamics, mass
dispersion are applied to the assessment of the probability of fire & explosion and remediation
methods. They are also applied in estimation of toxic release rate and propagation as well as
release controlled devises. These concepts are covered in topics 4, 5 and 6.
1

from Graduate Attributes (http://www.feas.ryerson.ca/quality_assurance/accreditation.pdf) required by the Canadian

Engineering Accreditation Board.
Course Information: Chemical Process Safety Loss Prevention (CHE 617)

page 1 of 4

MAJOR TOPICS
1. Industrial Hygiene: Identification, evaluation and control
2. Source Models and Toxic Release: Flow of liquids, vapors and gases through holes and pipes ;
Dispersion models for toxic release; Its mitigation
3. Fires and Explosions: The fire triangle; Flammability of liquids and vapors; Auto-ignition and autooxidation; Types of explosions; Designs and tools to prevent fires and explosions
4. Reliefs: Relief systems, types and scenarios; Relief sizing for liquid and vapor service
5. Hazard Identification: Checklists, surveys, operability studies and safety reviews
6. Risk Assessment, Event trees, Fault trees; Quantitative Risk Analysis
TEXTBOOK:

Chemical Process Safety Fundamentals with Applications by D. A. Crowl, and J.

F. Louvar, 3nd edition, Prentice Hall, NJ, 2011 (2nd. edition is usable).

REFERENCE:
1. Lees' Loss Prevention in the Process Industries Loss Prevention in the Process Industries edited by
S. Mannan, 3rd edition, Butterworth-Heinemann, London, 1996.
2. Guidelines for Chemical Process Quantitative Risk Analysis by Center for Chemical Process Safety
(CCPS), 2nd edition, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, 2000.
3. What Went Wrong?: Case Studies of Process Plant Disasters by T. A. Kletz, 4th edition, Gulf Pub.,
Houston, 1998.
4. Process Plants: A Handbook for Inherently Safer Design by T. Kletz, Taylor & Francis,
Philadelphia, 1998.
5. Learning from Accidents, by Trevor A. Kletz, 3rd edition, Gulf Professional, Oxford, UK, 2001.
COURSE EVALUATION:
1. Assignments
20%
2. Term project (or midterm)
Written report
30%
3. Final Exam
50%
Note: Term project written report will be due one week before the end of the semester.
TERM PROJECT REPORT
Each student, in a group of maximum 4 students, is required to work toward a term paper related to this
course.
The students must form their groups, and decide their term paper topics in the first class. The topics
must be approved by the instructor.
Before submitting, the students are advised to photocopy and backup their term paper reports.
Late term paper reports will be penalized by 5% per day.
List of term project topics:
1. Containment design for batch polymerization reactors
2. Inherent safety implementation in pharmaceutical industry
3. Effective flare safety with proper design, instrumentation, maintenance and training
4. Inerting techniques for flammable liquids, combustible dusts, and their mixtures
5. Organizational factors that influence safety
6. Reducing the frequency and consequences of runaway reaction-generated accidents
Course Information: Chemical Process Safety Loss Prevention (CHE 617)

page 2 of 4

7. Learning from an accident: A case study

8. Lessons from fires and explosions involving air pollution control systems
9. Students proposed project with the instructor approval
Instructions for the Term Project Report
The term project report should be prepared according to the following instructions:
The report must be typed with 12 pt Times Roman or Arial letter font, 1.5 line spacing, and 2 cm
margins from the edges of the letter paper.
The report should neither exceed 40 pages nor fall below 20 pages, be Cerlox-bound, and must have the
following items:
Title page (5)
The title page of the report should carry the term paper title, student names and IDs, course number, and the date.
Abstract (5)
Briefly write 200-300 words apprising the reader of what he or she is going to read.
Introduction (15)
Provide a general introduction of the research and development related to the topic of the term paper. Provide the
problem statement.
Literature Review (45)
Provide a literature review including the latest developments/applications regarding the term paper topic. Cite
the references from the reference list that would appear toward the end.
Provide critical analysis of the important contributions found in the literature review. Discuss their significant
achievements and limitations.
Suggested Improvements (10)
Based on the above analysis, bring out how the state-of-the-art
can be refined or improved?
can be extended and applied to other areas?
Conclusions (10)
Present a closing remark on the topic under review and the methods used to deal with it.
Nomenclature (5)
Provide a complete list of symbols with their definitions used in the term paper report.
References (5)
Provide a list of references cited in the report. Be consistent with the reference style.

ASSIGNMENT SUBMISSION:
1. Assignments are due at the beginning of the lecture session, unless otherwise specified. Late
submission (without justifiable reasons or advanced notice to the instructor) will result in a mark
deduction as below:
1 day: 15% deduction
2 days: 30% deduction
3 days : 50%
4 days: unacceptable
Course Information: Chemical Process Safety Loss Prevention (CHE 617)

page 3 of 4

2. Unsubmitted assignments will result in zero marks.

OTHER RELEVANT NOTES
1. Medical or Compassionate documents for the missing of an exam must be submitted within 3
working days of the exam. Students are responsible for notifying the instructor that they will be
missing an exam as soon as possible.
2. Requests for accommodation of specific religious or spiritual observance must be presented to
the instructor no later than two weeks prior to the conflict in question (in the case of final
examinations within two weeks of the release of the examination schedule). In extenuating
circumstances this deadline may be extended. If the dates are not known well in advance
because they are linked to other conditions, requests should be submitted as soon as possible in
advance of the required observance. Given that timely requests will prevent difficulties with
arranging constructive accommodations, students are strongly encouraged to notify the
instructor of an observance accommodation issue within the first two weeks of classes.
3. The results of the first test or mid-term exam will be returned to students before the deadline to
drop an undergraduate course in good Academic Standing.
4. Students are required to adhere to all relevant University policies including:
a. Undergraduate Grading, Promotion and Academic Standing,
http://www.ryerson.ca/senate/policies/pol46.pdf
b. Student Code of Academic Conduct,
http://www.ryerson.ca/senate/policies/pol60.pdf
c. Student Code of Non-Academic Conduct,
http://www.ryerson.ca/senate/policies/pol61.pdf
d. Undergraduate Academic Consideration and Appeals,
http://www.ryerson.ca/senate/policies/pol134.pdf
e. Examination Policy, http://www.ryerson.ca/senate/policies/pol135.pdf
f. Accom.of Student Relig., Abor. and Spir. Observance,
http://www.ryerson.ca/senate/policies/pol150.pdf
g. Est.of Stud. Email Accts for Official Univ. Commun.,
http://www.ryerson.ca/senate/policies/pol157.pdf

Course Information: Chemical Process Safety Loss Prevention (CHE 617)

page 4 of 4