Unit

HEALTH, SAFETY & ENVIRONMENT

UNDERSTANDING OIL AND GAS BUSINESS

CONTENTS
Introduction to HSE Hazards and their Types Causes of Accidents Safety Mgmt Tools in Plant Life Cycle Safety Facilities in Process Plant HAZID (HAZard IDentification) Environmental Aspects Sources of Pollution:

- Waste from Oil Production - Waste during Transportation - Waste Water Treatment

INTRODUCTION
TO HSE
Hydrocarbons

and Petroleum Products pose hazard to the environment if not handled in a safe manner.
Accident may have disastrous effects on people Discharge of pollutants can destroy ecosystem High flammability can cause explosion

That is why a lot of importance is given today on

learning and implementing HSE Methods based on norms and practices followed at every stage of Plant Life Cycle.

HAZARDS: These are defined as the potential to

cause harm, including ill health and injury ,damage to property ,products or environment, production losses or increased liabilities.
From toxic materials that are handled
Fire & Explosion Sources of ignition
Electric Equipments Chemical Hazards Lightning Lightning

Skin Contact

Hazards
Inhalation
Swallowing of liquid

Static Electricity Static Electricity Hot Surface Ignition Hot Surface Ignition

Hammering Hammering

Unsafe operations

Due to physical operations in the plant

HAZARDS
- CAUSES THREATS Possible causes that could potentially release the hazard and produce an incident. INCIDENTS Unplanned event or chain of events, which have caused or could have caused injury, illness and or damage.
CAUSES - (3 Categories) Fire and Explosion Chemical Hazard Unsafe Operations

Fire & Explosion

Flash Point: The lowest temperature at which the liquid

gives off sufficient vapor to form a flammable gas mixture near the surface of liquid.

By nature petroleum products are flammable to a greater

or lesser degree, depending on its composition.

Fire Triangle: For fire to take place ,the simultaneous

presence of all the three items is necessary: Flammable Material Air or Oxygen Source of Ignition

Fire & Explosion

contd
Flammable Materials: Mixture of

hydrocarbon vapors and air will ignite only if the hydrocarbon to air ratio is within certain limits If the mixture is too lean or too rich ,then ignition does not occur.
Flammable Limit: The LFL and the UFL for most hydrocarbon mixtures are typically at about 1% and 10% by volume.

Fire & Explosion

contd
Sources of Ignition
Electrical Equipment Lighting Static Electricity Hot Surface Ignition Hammering or Impact Frictional Non-electrical Sources

Fire & Explosion

contd
Prevention
Obviously the methods of prevention of fire and explosion hazard is elimination of one or two of the items in the fire triangle or preventing all the three being present together.

For example, if a source of ignition can be excluded or oxygen levels surrounding can be kept below certain limits, a fire or explosion cannot occur.

Chemical Hazards
Hydrogen Sulfide

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon

Chlorine for manufacturing PVC

Methanol Benzene Hydrogen sulfide

Conc. Of H2S
3-5 ppm

Effect on Human beings

Offensive order

5-10 ppm
25-50 ppm 50-100 ppm 300-500 ppm

Threshold limit of order.

Max limit for safe working environment. Serious eye injury & loss of sense of smell Threat to life.

Chemical Hazards
contd
Major Chemical Hazards can arise from: Skin contact with the HC liquid Inhalation of HC vapors Accidental swallowing of liquids or solids
Hydrogen sulfide and Sulfur dioxide are

most common in refining industry.

Causes of Accidents
Defects in design
Equipment & Piping Manufacturing

Construction Defects

Fabrication Installation

Defect in Material Of Equipment

Faulty Operations or maintenance

Lack Of Monitoring

Defect in Design
For mechanical and structural design the

magnitude of design factors should allow for uncertainties in material properties, corrosion, design methods, fabrication and operating loads.

Inappropriate materials specifications may

lead to equipment or piping failure resulting in the release of hazardous materials.

Defect in Construction
Defect

in material for equipment and piping, defect in manufacturing, fabrication and defect in construction or installation including improper inspection and testing may lead to equipment or piping failure.

The Sinking of P-36 Platform is one of the

examples which could be due to defects both in the design and installation.

Faulty Operation and Maintenance

Erroneous operation and maintenance may

lead to accident:

Failure to interchange operating & standby equipment as and when required Lack of attention to the special instrument like vibration monitor, corrosion monitors, etc.

Faulty Operation and Maintenance

- Cases -

Collapse of a Storage Tank

An example of accident due to not following

the procedure during maintenance.

The tank collapsed because a plastic bag

with which the tank vent was covered during painting of the tank was not removed before operation. When the product was pumped out of the tank during operation, vacuum was created as the vent was blocked with the plastic bag. The steel tank collapsed but the plastic bag did not break.

Human Error
Opening or closing wrong valves without

fully understanding operating instructions

Operator

taking wrong reading of parameter indicators and taking wrong actions

Adjusting the set point of a control to a

wrong value

Other Causes
Natural Calamities Earthquakes, etc. Need for Emergency Response Plans
Lack of Monitoring Lack of Training

Safety Mgmt Techniques in Plant Life Cycle

Provisions can be made to reduce the risks

associated with a process, system or facility to a level as low as reasonably practical (ALARP)

This can be achieved by:

Removal of hazards in design phase Reducing the probability of hazardous events occurring Minimizing the risk of escalation should a hazardous event occur

Safety Mgmt Techniques in Plant Life Cycle

Control system

Concept Development
Shut down System Safety Valve Firefighting

Plant Process

Plant Life Cycle

Site Selection

Population
Qualified Contractor

Wild Life
Construction Environment Resources

Adequate Training

Concept Development
It is during this phase that most of the

major hazards and effects will be identified and an initial assessment of their importance will take place.

There is considerable scope for removing

hazards here.

An example can be Site Selection

HSE Aspect of

Site Selection
The importance and vulnerability of various

components in the existing environment should be assessed. Potential consequences of accidents Safety of wildlife and natural habitats Safety of people living in vicinity Resources susceptible to damage

Safety Facilities in Process Plant

Process Control System(PCS): Maintains the process within defined

operating limits of flow, temp. & pressure

Process Shutdown System(PSD): Designed to shutdown of selected

equipment & control devises on the platform that will stop production totally but will not blow down the hydrocarbon contents of the equipments.
of all process facilities & utilities accompanied by blow down of hydrocarbon contents of in all process units pressure , letting the released process fluid to go to the flare. the system in such a state as to facilitate a prompt re-start.

Emergency Shutdown System(ESD): Designed to shutdown

Pressure Safety Valve: Mounted on equipment, which relieve over Temporary Shutdown(TSD): Will cause production to stop ,but will Fire Detectors: are installed which not only detect but also trigger

alarm system or shutdown system as per design specifications

Construction Safety
A typical construction project can expose

the construction workforce to level of risk higher than that of the personnel involved in the subsequent, longer operational phase.

Typical constraints: Low priority on construction planning Use of inappropriately qualified contractors Inadequate training Short-cuts in order to meet schedules Hazardous nature of construction sites

- HAZard IDentification A technique for early identification of potential hazards and threats.
Applied at the very outset of a new venture or

HAZID

project

Likely to be the first formal HSE related study for

any new project

Early assessment of HSE hazards leads to safer

and more cost-effective design options

HAZID
contd
HAZID study addresses the layout and

operation of the entire system

It uses a guideword driven methodology

based on a comprehensive list of typical hazards, their consequences, and control measures of similar nature such as: Location, Function (e.g. Process Area, Utilities)

The subject of review is divided into areas

- Benefits Full recognition of the importance and

HAZID

interdependence of all HSE aspects at the outset of the development

Identification

of specific hazards and threats within a project life-cycle phase or during operation

Identification of all the intended continuous

emissions from the facility

- Types There are two types of HAZID techniques:

HAZID

Conceptual Detailed

Conceptual HAZID
The optimum (early) timing of a conceptual

HAZID study inevitably means that the formal documentation available to the team will be minimal and at conceptual or policy level.

Some of the key documents: Project Initiation Notes Policy Statements Feasibility Studies Project Development Plans Description of Operational Environment Key Legislative and Philosophy Documents Environmental Regulations

Detailed HAZID
The detailed study is conducted later in the

engineering design process, once design options have been identified but before any final decision. drawings include:

A significant number of additional documents and

Process Flow Schemes (PFS) with possibly Process Engineering Flow Schemes (PEFS) at block diagram level Plot Plan and Layout Process Descriptions Safety and Operating Philosophies Environmental Assessment

HAZOP
It stands for Hazard & Operatibility Study

which is a method for identifying and evaluating the risk that are associated with a process. They are special techniques and show outcomes in all possible situations and tell how likely they are to occur. The decision makers finally have, if not perfect information, the most complete picture

possible.

It is an aid to judge accordingly which risk to

take and which to avoid.

HAZOP contd
Traditionally

the HAZOP procedure examines process equipment on a system by system basis, reviewing the process parameters using a checklist of guidewords, which suggest deviations from the normal operating conditions. consequences of a variation are assessed, as are the circumstances that might bring it about.

The

Safety Audit
It is the act of verifying the existence

and implementation of elements of safety and health system and for verifying the systems ability to achieve defined safety objectives. It is periodic in nature.
It checks design, maintenance of premises, equipment It monitors performance of the system It performs quality and environment management

Emergency Response Plan

Every major hydrocarbon facility must have

an Emergency Response Plan Elements of an Emergency Response Plan:

Pre emergency planning and coordination with outside parties Emergency Command System Personnel roles Emergency Recognition and Prevention Safe distances identification Site security and control Emergency Medical Treatment and First Aid List of emergency equipments and their location

Environmental Aspects
Sources of Pollution:
The gaseous emissions, aqueous and gaseous effluents and discharges of hazardous waste materials from operating units are the major sources of pollution.

The effluents are emitted in three ways:

During the processing of oil & gas When we consume them as fuel When we consume the end products

Sources of Pollution
Produced water Sludge. Emissions-HC,H2S Flare Power Plant Gaseous emissions Flare-CO,CO2,NOX. Particulate Liquid waste (sour water) caustic Chemicals Metals Suspended solids Solid wasteSludge from tank. Sludge from waste treatment Chemicals. Carbon

Fertilizer Plant
Oilfield Processing

Oil & Gas Well

Transportation Drilling waste Water & oil Based chemicals Drilling mud Oil spills

Petrochemicals

Refinery
Waste water Suspended matter. Leakages. Oil spills. Emissions. Flare

Waste from Oil Production

Produced water accounts for about 98% of the total

waste in the oil field. Produced water must be treated before releasing into the environment Other waste in oilfield is mainly drilling waste. The drilling waste is mainly mud with oil and chemicals used during drilling. The major contaminants in the produced water are: Dissolved solids (salt & heavy metals) Suspended & dissolved organic matter (hydrocarbons) Hydrogen sulfide/Carbon dioxide.

Pollutants During Transportation

Oil spills from large tankers carrying crude oil occurs when

ship leaks due to crashing in a rock. Leakage can occur during loading/unloading and normal movement of the ship. Causes enormous damage to eco-system and marine life

Pollutants From Refining Refinery waste include free & emulsified oil from leaks, spills, waste, caustic and acid sludge, tank bottom sludge etc. Crude storage tanks also are a large contributor to refinery waste. It includes oily water, organic sulfur compounds, suspended matter ,asphalted compounds etc. Pollutants From Petrochemicals Petrochemical plant waste are more complex due to wide range of raw materials, intermediate chemicals & products

Waste Water Treatment

The major steps are:
Removal of free oil particles by skimming.

Removal of emulsion particles by floatation

of oil particles Oxidation of the organic material by aeration and bacterial method using activated sludge. Finally filtration to remove suspended solids

Waste Water Treatment

Filter
Treated Water

Aeration Cell
Sludge Drying

Flotation Cell Oil

Oily waste water

Disposal

Skimming

Environmental Aspects contd

The Hydrocarbon Industry is thus a major

source of pollution in the world.

The three parties involved the industry,

the government and the consumers have to partner together to control the effects. technology and reduced wasteful consumption of energy are some of the means to reduce pollution.

Stringent product specifications, improved

REFERENCE

Understanding Oil & Gas Business, Module 2 Drilling & Exploration World ( DEW)