Where We Go Wrong In Vessel Design

Dick Hawrelak Presented to ES-317Y in 1999 at UWO

Introduction

30% of large property damage losses are caused by failures in tanks, process drums and marine vessels. Average Trended Loss was $40.5MM for tanks alone.

1984 U.S. National OSHA Record

6486 accidents. 516 injuries. 90 deaths.

OSHA Record Includes

Power Boilers Water Boilers and Steel Tanks Cast Iron Boilers Pressure Vessels (poorest record)

Pressure Vessel Record

1310 / 6486 accidents 437 / 516 injuries 73 / 90 deaths

Press Vessel Components

Shell Head Attachements Piping Safety Valves Misc

PV Failure Causes

Operator error or poor maintenance 149 / 933 Faulty Design 144 / 933 Corrosion or erosion 132 / 933 Pressure control failure 41 / 933 Other 420 / 933

PV Failure Types

Cracked 403 / 1087 Other - 298 / 1087 Leakage 163 / 1087 Rupture 158 / 1087 Explosion 22 / 1087 Collapsed Inward 15 / 1087

Obtain Data & Analyze

Search OSHA records On Internet Google Extract records Create Excel Database Sort and Filter data Analyze Data

Personal Experiences

Based on 33 Years of Chemical Plant Design at Dow.

Incomplete Mass Balances

Normal mass balance. Start-up, shut down or upset. Recycle conditions. Off-loading situations unplanned.

Residence or Hold-up Time

Inventory logistics not well defined. Flammable or toxic inventories too high.

Containment

Dyke dimensions do not meet codes. Drainage does not follow NFPA 15. Catastrophic failure overwhelms dyke walls.

Materials Of Construction

Not suitable for corrosive fluid at high temperature. Not suitable for low temperature excursions.

Quantum Explosion - 7 June 89

A-515-70 grade CS brittle failure of heat exchanger shell. Start-up, inlet flange leak, isolated exchanger and depressured to flare. 30 minutes to failure. Two fatalities, seven serious burns, major damage to ethylene plant.

Nozzles

Level control nozzles in wrong location. Nozzles too small creating impingement on far wall. PSV nozzles not suitable for thrust.

Visit U.S. EPA CEPP Web Site

Chemical Emergency Preparedness and Prevention Office web site at www.epa.gov/ceppo/acc-his.html Check Rupture Hazard of Pressure Vessels. Check Catastrophic Failure of Storage Tanks.

Ammonia Storage Tank Modification

Oil and Gas Journal, Dec 26, 1998 Pressure storage in spheres Removes bottom unloading lines. Converts to overhead siphon system. Excellent article on 4 process design options.

Typical Pressure Vessel

KO Pot Design

Internals

Impingement details not well designed. Pump-out sumps act as dirt trap. KO Pot internals not designed properly.

Design Pressure

Design Pressure not suitable for upset conditions.

Reactive Chemicals

P&IDs must be examined for reactive chemical possibilities.

Low Pressure API Tanks

Very easy to bulge or suck-in resulting in loss of containment. PSV, pad de-pad settings very close. Floating roof explosion at Suncor in Sarnia. Roof hangs up on pumpout, air sucked into vapor phase, lightning ignites flammable vapor.

Breathing.

Pumping and temperature change breathing not allowed for in combination. High breathing losses a cost and an environmental problem Benzene tank.

Vapor Recovery Options

Not well understood. See BLOSS program for design options.

Flammable Storage Area

EO storage bunkers located 1 mile from ISBL. 3 independent means of checking quantity to prevent overfilling (dual LC, weigh scale & flow rate x time). Refrigeration to prevent polymerization, chart temperature. Dump contents to pond if runaway reaction takes place.

EO Storage

Toxic Storage

Possible Exam Questions

What are three independent methods for preventing overfilling of a storage vessel. If a storage product can generate heat by polymerization at ambient temperatures, what safety measures should be considered? What are the main problems with fixed roof, low pressure API type storage vessels?

Exam Questions Contd

What is one of the main problems with an API, floating roof storage tank in flammable service? What are the safety measures that should be taken for a large chlorine storage sphere to prevent a toxic gas release?

Summary

This short list is indicative of some of the problems caused by poor engineering discipline in vessel design. Recommend you obtain a copy of the Chemical Plant Design programs and follow the procedures built into the vessel design spreadsheets.