On December 1, 2014, the 2015 edition of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 85, Boiler and Combustion Systems Hazards Code was approved as an American National Standard. The scope and purpose of the NFPA 85 committee, as well as its six technical sub-committees, is to establish the minimum requirements for:  design safety, installation, operation, maintenance, and training for all types of boilers including single and multiple burners, stokers, fluidized bed and heat recovery steam generators (HRSGs). 

When you think of chemical plant hazards, what usually comes to mind? Chemical exposures, poisoning, and fires or explosions due to volatile changes in the chemical mixture and/or temperature are some of the most prominent hazards, but it’s the obscure hazards that we need to re-focus our efforts on. Whenever solutions exist that make chemical plants safer by keeping people out of silos or off of roofs, for example, these should always be preferred.

When it comes to working with hazardous materials, the possibility of a storage tank overspill is a daily battle for the chemical industry. While overspills do not occur on a regular basis, the number of incidents per year per operation is quite high and do not seem to be slowing down anytime soon. Since the effects of an overspill can impact your employees and the environment for years to come, ensuring compliance and identifying what safety protocols your process has in place are the most important factors of your operational set-up. In another blog, we will focus on the reasons why overspills can occur as well as what technologies can act as safe guards and what alternative solutions to implement within your process (so that you’re not just relying on automated technology). In this blog, I’m going to focus on the safety aspect.

At times, we have valve positioner applications that are affected by excessive vibration, temperatures, radiation, magnetic influence, and unsafe and/or poor locations. Addressing the root cause of the issue can be timely, expensive and sometimes deemed impossible by plant management.

The grain industry is growing rapidly and the evolving trends include automation and instrumentation!  Silo inventory management and safety go hand-in-hand, and are consistently being enhanced. Less than five years ago, you had to climb the silos but now, you can install instrumentation to record the measurements you need and eliminate the need for personnel to physically climb the silos!  

Typically, the chemical industry is considered part of the downstream oil and gas segment where products are refined and processed by means of very high temperatures and pressures. A further segmentation splits the industry into basic chemicals and specialty chemicals (see Graphic A). Basic chemicals are manufactured in a continuous process so that low cost and a repeatable process is key in this segment. Many basic chemicals are used as feedstock for specialty chemicals, which are typically made in smaller batches and to specific customer specifications.

There’s no doubt that process inefficiencies and inventory inaccuracies caused by faulty or outdated technology are holes in your business’ pockets. Maximizing profit margins in the grain industry is essential, and you cannot afford to waste anything including commodities, machinery, or labor. 

When it comes to working with hazardous materials, the possibility of a storage tank overspill is a daily battle for the chemical industry. Although overspills do not happen regularly, the threat still exists, the risks are high and the effects can be severely damaging to your plant in more ways than one.