Professional Documents
Culture Documents
I
CHAPTER 7
$, DYADEM
© 2003 by CRC Prcss LLC
Pitfalls with HAZOP, Optimization of PHAs & Sizing of Nodes 7-3
Overpressure?
Overtemperature & BLEVE potential?
Loss of containment?
Toxic releases, e,g., Hydrogen SulJide?
Fire?
Explosions, especially with respect to buildings such as control centers?
Just Doing HAZOP Isn't the End of the Story, It's Just the
Beginning
Follow Management Programs that specifically address the full spectrum, e.g.,
API 750, OSHA 1910.1 19.
), DYADEM
© 2003 by CRC Prcss LLC
Pitfalls with HAZOP, Optimization of PHAs & Sizing of Nodes 7-5
Note: Often Phase 3 is final & PHA is either Guide Word HAZOP or What if7Checklist on
detailed issue of P&IDs.
Revamp Projects
Existing Units
Step #1: Establish priority for units, Risk ranking, e.g., Dow F&EI.
Step #2: Perform What iUChecklist or Guide Word HAZOP.
In HAZOP, the term "node" is used to describe the selection of one or more items of
equipment as a focal point of study. A node could be as small as a line, a pump, a vessel or
a heat exchanger, or as large as an entire process plant. The practicality of not only
selecting nodes, but also of sizing nodes, is of critical importance.
Let us examine the early method for assigning nodes for Guide Word HAZOP.
Consider a vessel where there are a number of lines entering the vessel and a number of
lines leaving the vessel. The early method was to take each of the lines entering the vessel,
in turn, and treat them as separate nodes, applying deviations, such as High Flow, LowNo
Flow, Reverse/Misdirected Flow, High Pressure, Low Pressure and so forth. Each line
leaving the vessel was also treated as a separate node. The vessel itself was not treated as a
separate node because it was considered to be adequately addressed by applying deviations
to the entry and exit lines.
Following on from the early method of line-by-line assignment of nodes, the concept of
compound nodes was devised. With compound nodes, a section of routing, say, involving
feed piping from a feed vessel, a centrifugal pump, a control valve set and a heat exchanger
supplying a reactor vessel would be considered as a single node.
In time, compound nodes were expanded considerably to typically include all of the
equipment shown on one or more piping and instrument diagrams (P&IDs).
The early methodology of choosing single lines as nodes, although comprehensive, proved
to be extremely time consuming and resulted in extensive repetition of recorded data. This
led to extreme fatigue and loss of interest by HAZOP teams, resulting in low-efficiency
HAZOPs.
Increasing the size of nodes to take into account more equipment items was found to result
in less repetition, greater progress and more efficient HAZOPs.
For the relative newcomer to HAZOP, small node sizes, even those confined to single
lines, can have the benefit of familiarization with the HAZOP methodology. Thus, as
greater familiarity and confidence are gained with the HAZOP methodology, the node size
can be increased to include more equipment.
Given that small node sizes are inefficient, very large node sizes may also be inefficient
when they become unwieldy and hard to handle.
In general, the optimum node size can include multiple items of equipment, provided that
they share a common function.
When there is a discrete change in functionality, this becomes a demarcation point, and one
or more additional nodes need to be designated to reflect the different functional groupings.
2 DYADEM
© 2003 by CRC Prcss LLC
Pitfalls with HAZOP, Optimization of PHAs & Sizing of Nodes 7-8
By way of example, where a complete P&ID, several P&IDs or several sections of one or
more P&IDs have a common functionality, this can be deemed as a discrete node. For
example, a fired furnace oil heater may show the following main components:
INTERLOCK WUTS
MAIN BURNER CV
VAPORIZED OIL
.-.--.
The furnace oil heater may be designated as a complete node. Alternatively, the process
flow (oil side, including the heating coil) could be designated as a node, the burner
management system (fed by natural gas) could be counted as another node and the firebox
itself as a third node.
One of the questions frequently asked is "If I create a large node, won't I perform a less-
thorough HAZOP than if I break it down into multiple smaller nodes?" The answer to this
question is that a number of experienced HAZOPers have tried both methods and have
found that relatively little, if anything, is lost by choosing large nodes. In fact, with large
nodes there is usually a better overview of systems. As well, important synergies and
interactions are maintained, while repetition is minimized.
This speeds up the entire HAZOP process, making it more interesting for the HAZOP team
as a whole, and overall gains usually exceed potential losses.
2DYADEM
© 2003 by CRC Prcss LLC
Pialls with HAZOP, Optimization of PHAs & Sizing of Nodes 7-10