Hazardous Engineering Solutions - December 2011 by Michael Dominguez

DECEMBER 2011 Issue 5

New Gas-Pro Confined Space Gas Detector From Crowcon Page 8

OIL & GAS – PIPE INSPECTION

NEW EXHIBITION – HAZEX SHOW

PROCESS SAFETY PAYS

17-20

December 2011

Latest News

Parsons Brinckerhoff To Support The Implementation Of The Uk’s Geological Disposal Facility For Higher Activity Radioactive Wastes London, United Kingdom (06 October 2011) Parsons Brinckerhoff, the global engineering consultant, has signed a four-year contract with the UK’s Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) to provide technical support for the development of an underground disposal facility which will keep radioactive materials isolated from the environment for thousands of years. The Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) project will be a multi-billion pound engineering challenge to safely and securely build and operate a deep underground storage facility at a UK location that has yet to be chosen. The Government is leading the site selection process under the Managing Radioactive Waste Safely framework. Engineers on the project face significant challenges to create, for the first time, a facility that will be engineered to last for millennia.

Fireco Scoops Two Prestigious Awards Fireco, the UK’s leading specialist in simple, effective services and solutions for fire safety management, is celebrating a double success at this year’s British Engineering Excellence Awards.

Commenting on the role, David Rutherford, Senior Director, Energy at Parsons Brinckerhoff, said: “The development of an underground disposal facility for radioactive materials is one of the most exciting engineering challenges facing the UK today, and it is also a vital legacy for future generations. “Our experts have been supporting the NDA – and formerly the Nuclear Industry Radioactive Waste Executive – on the storage of nuclear waste for nearly 20 years; we look forward to continuing that collaboration through development of the deep underground storage facility.”

Leading Oil And Gas Industry Jobsite Reports Healthy Financial Year End And Is Forecasting More Growth To Come Oil and Gas Job Search is reporting growth of more than 50% in turnover over the past year. The company registered turnover of £2.8m for 2010-2011, up 55% on last year’s figures of £1.8m. John Roberts Marketing Director at Oil and Gas Job Search comments: “The progress of the business has been tremendous over the past 12 months, with 40% growth in the number of adverts placed.” “We are anticipating similar growth for the coming financial year and hope to break the £4m mark.” Oil and Gas Job Search has been attracting over 10,000 new registered users a month. It’s a figure Roberts believes will double within 6 months owing to the steady growth of the business development team, a major website overhaul taking 5,000 man hours to complete and the quality of the candidate database. The number of registered users passed the 400,000 mark earlier this month and the site currently generates over five million page views per month. www.oilandgasjobsearch.com

Merger Between North Sea Group and Argos Oil in Effect : Largest independent oil and energy company of Western Europe

The legal merger between North Sea Group (NSG) and Argos Oil (Argos) has come into effect today. Most activities of NSG and Argos are now combined under one holding company; NSG Beheer BV. The new Dutch combination will be an important supplier of oil and energy, with a substantial position in the Western European energy market. The company name will be announced at a later date. The new company that is the result of the merger between NSG and Argos will be the largest independent player in the Western European oil- and energy market. The company employs 850 people, has a combined tank storage capacity of more than 1.5 million m3 and annual turnover of approximately 10 billion. Under CEO Peter Goedvolk, the new company will concentrate mainly on midstream- and downstream activities. The new company services the entire value chain, from producer to consumer. The core of its activities will be carried out from the BeNeLux, Germany, France and Switzerland. Outside Europe, the company has offices in Brazil, Singapore and China. Peter Goedvolk: ‘Growth is essential in today’s oil markets. It’s all about volume so those who want to participate in a successful manner need scale. By merging NSG and Argos we achieve the size that we need in order to service the entire value chain. Just like my fellow directors and shareholders, I am convinced that together we can become one of the most appealing oil and energy companies of Europe. The merger offers great opportunities to further expand our activities in Western Europe, to enlarge our international storage capacity and to sharpen our focus on sustainable energy.

Above: Design Engineer Darren Jones, winner of BEEA Young Design Engineer of the Year with Fireco’s two awards. Freedor, the world’s first wireless, electrically powered free-swing door closer, has won the prestigious Mechanical Product of the Year category of this year’s British Engineering Excellence Awards along with Fireco Design Engineer Darren Jones, who was crowned Young Design Engineer of the Year at the same Awards held at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London. These awards follow Freedor’s winning of the best passive protection product award at the 2011 Fire Excellence Awards in May. Freedor allows the fire door to swing freely and be left in any position, but will close the door when the fire alarm sounds. Freedor is a simple, neat and unobtrusive hold open device that improves access in buildings and allows flexibility in the use of more fluid layouts, and is easy to install in new buildings and retrofit. For more product information contact Fireco on (local rate) 0845 241 7474 e-mail sales@firecoltd.com or visit www.firecoltd.com

HAZARDOUS ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS

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Marigold® Industrial’s New Chemical Permeation Chart Offers Invaluable Support Ensuring workers are equipped with the right Hand and Arm Protection when working with chemicals is one of the biggest challenges to those with responsibility for ensuring health and safety in the workplace. How suitable a glove material is to protect against specific chemicals and how long that glove material will offer protection before its protective qualities are broken down are critical pieces of information in the hand protection selection process yet can be extremely difficult to identify. And thanks to the launch of Marigold® Industrial’s brand new Chemical Permeation Chart, identifying the performance and protective qualities of their gloves against more than 140 common chemicals has become a lot easier. The new 12-page guide provides a simple to use and understand guide to selecting the right glove against a wide range of common workplace chemicals – giving key breakthrough time (BTT) information delivered in colour coded levels, ranging from level 1 – less than 10 minutes protection to level 6 offering over 480 minutes breakthrough time. In addition to having performance data listed for over 20 of their key chemical protective gloves, the new chart also includes permeation performance and breakthrough time information for

its disposable gloves, which have been tested against almost 100 workplace chemicals. In addition to their common names, the chemicals listed throughout the new chart also have their Chemical Abstracts Service Registry (CAS) Number listed. As well as in printed format, Marigold® Industrial’s new chemical permeation chart is also available in electronic format and an online recommendation guide is another useful tool they provide. For more information on the new Chemical Permeation Chart contact their Chemical Category Manager John Thorne on +44(0)845 075 3355 or visit: marigold-industrial.com or email: ukenquiries@marigold-industrial.com

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New Gas-Pro Confined Space Gas Detector from Crowcon Crowcon’s new Gas-Pro portable gas detector is designed with just one purpose – ensuring safety in confined spaces. It is robust, reliable and simple to use with a bright, easy to read display and long battery life. The Gas-Pro has a number of special features specific to confined space entry (CSE) work: • Compact and comparable in size to leading front-mount diffusion detectors, which means it will not get in the way of other personal protection equipment (PPE) and not interfere with the worker’s primary activity. • Bright, clear top-mount display that can be read at a glance without having to even touch the detector. A dual colour backlight adds an extra level of alert should the Gas-Pro enter alarm status. • Automated pre-entry check function. This is recorded in the event log making it traceable and proving the check was carried out prior to CSE. • An internal pump allowing pre-entry testing to be done quickly and easily. This also keeps the size of the detector small and removes the problems of poor sealing or the need for extra equipment and chargers. • +ve Safety™ (positive safety). Tri-colour status indication giving quick and effective monitoring of gas test (bump), calibration, over range and recent alarm notification. Because the indication light is visible to all it offers the fleet manager a quick, simple and comprehensive visible indication of monitor status. • Multiple gas sensors for up to five potentially hazardous gases HAZARDOUS ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS

from a wide range, including: hydrogen sulphide, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, oxygen and flammable gases, as well as industryspecific gases such as ozone, ammonia, chlorine, chlorine dioxide and sulphur dioxide. • Extremely rugged with IP65 and IP67 ingress protection with an extremely loud >95 dB alarm as well as a vibrating and dual colour visual warnings as standard. The Gas-Pro is therefore ideally suited for CSE work. Personnel entering these spaces can now focus on their core activities, safe in the knowledge that their gas detector is focused on its core activity. According to the UK’s Health and Safety Executive (HSE) a confined space means ‘any place, including any chamber, tank, vat, silo, pit, trench, pipe, sewer, flue, well or other similar space in which, by virtue of its enclosed nature, there arises a reasonably foreseeable risk’. This definition covers just about any industrial activity but is especially applicable to the utilities industries (water and wastewater, electricity, telecommunications and gas), construction, hydrocarbon exploration and processing, petrochemicals, marine applications, agriculture, food processing, wine making and brewing, as well as emergency services. The Gas-Pro is ideal for these and many other applications. For more news stories about Crowcon and to subscribe to the company’s RSS News Feed please visit the News Blog at: www.halmapr.com/news/crowcon

HAZARDOUS ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS

INDUSTRY NEWS

Request your free copy of Panasonic’s Fiber Sensor Guide book

New HSE-Endorsed Safety Guidelines For Escalators And Moving Walkways. The Safety Assessment Federation (SAFed) in conjunction with the HSE is launching new guidelines for the safe operation of escalators and moving walks. The aim of the guidelines is to ensure that owners and duty holders understand and discharge their responsibilities in a safe, consistent and cost effective manner.

Panasonic’s range of sensing products used in Industrial Automation environments is very comprehensive and includes a large range of photo-electric, pressure, flow and inductive sensing products in addition to specialist areas that offer solutions for safety sensing, static removal, contact less measurement and more. The range of Fiber Optic based sensing products offered is unprecedented and includes several models of fiber amplifier including the latest FX500 series, incorporating the latest digital sensing techniques for high speed, high accuracy sensing. To compliment the amplifier range is a vast portfolio of fiber optic sensing heads offering diffuse, retro-reflective and thrubeam sensing technologies for different environments including chemical and heat resistant. To aid the selection process Panasonic have published a Fiber Sensor Guide Book that includes application information, product specifications, dimensional information of their range of fiber heads and also the complimentary range of accessories including lenses, protective tubes, mounting brackets etc.

Richard Hulmes Chief Executive of SAFed said. ‘There are number of major reasons why it was important to develop these guidelines. In addition to being used more frequently in building designs, escalators and moving walkway installations are becoming ever more complex. Combined with an alarming growth in the misuse and abuse of escalators, this poses an increasing risk to end users. This is particularly concerning as in some cases escalators can form part of the primary escape route from a facility, such as some London Underground stations.’ The guidelines provide recommendations on risk control and reduction to help prevent accidents as well as technical advice on testing and examination, reporting formats and suitable periodicities between examination and tests. The new guidelines have been developed in partnership with a number of major stakeholders. End user concerns were represented by London Underground, the British Airports Authority and the British Retail Consortium. Key industry expertise and experience came from The Independent National Inspection and Testing Association, The Lift and Escalator Industry Association (LEIA) and The Chartered Institution of Building Service Engineers amongst others.

For For more more details details on on this this product product please please contact Panasonic Electric Works UK Ltd Ltd contact Panasonic Electric Works UK on 01908 231 555 on 01908 231 555 Info.pewuk@eu.panasonic.com Info.pewuk@eu.panasonic.com www.panasonic-electric-works.com www.panasonic-electric-works.com HAZARDOUS ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS

A copy of the guidelines can be freely downloaded from the SAFed web site: www.safed.co.uk 10

HAZARDOUS ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS

PIPE MEASUREMENT

Laser, Video And Ultrasonic Inspection Of Pipe Root Welds Is An Oil And Gas Industry First UK-based specialist pipe measurement technology company Optical Metrology Services (OMS) Ltd has successfully completed an on-site internal weld inspection survey for a major oil company. This is the first time that a combination of laser, video and ultrasonic inspection methods have been used in a production environment to inspect the profile of root welds on pipes. The survey was carried out by OMS’ US-based operation. In late 2009, OMS was approached by a main contractor on an oilfield project and asked to provide a team of on-site inspectors to carry out a full inspection survey of a number of subsea modular valve manifold systems. Using its laser-based dimensional measurement tools and video-based inspection systems, OMS was responsible for assessing the internal root welds for any defects. The inspection requirements covered the full range of weld features including crown height, undercut, porosity and burn-through. OMS’ on-site inspectors were also required to perform inspections at welding temperatures (i.e. up to 250 deg C). In order to do this, OMS adapted its own weld inspection technology to enable it to operate at these elevated temperatures. Dr Richard Gooch, Director of Technology at OMS commented: “On this project, the pipes on the modular valve manifold system were almost entirely lined with a special corrosion resistant material. Our team of three inspectors therefore had to make sure they didn’t overheat these coatings whilst carrying out inspections. On average, it was taking the customer around four days to complete a root weld pass. If there were flaws in a weld, this would have to be repaired or cut out. Our inspectors carried out their inspections immediately after the hot pass.” “The laser and video-based inspection of root welds took approximately 10 minutes to complete. In this time, we gave our initial verdict to the customer’s QA engineer on whether we thought there was a problem with the root weld. If we were uncertain, the laser inspection procedure was repeated but this time at finer detail [every 0.5mm] than before and doublechecked using video-based inspection technology. The depth of the weld feature could then be examined more closely and a final verdict reached,” he added. Whilst ultrasonic or radiography technology is commonly used to inspect pipe root welds, this technology is not so effective when the weld defects are very small. OMS provided a team of three HAZARDOUS ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS

inspectors at site, one of these being a fully certified weld inspector. “The modular valve manifolds are mounted on 30-foot skids and are critical junctions within oil or gas pipelines. Our inspection tools were able to pass around 90-degree bends and 33-degree bends in the pipework, as well as inside the valves themselves. In order to do this, OMS designed a special laser-based measurement system that incorporated a slide rail, stepper motor and optical laser sensor. This allowed us to push the tool in very small, half millimetre steps through the pipes to inspect the profile of the welds,” explains Gooch. OMS’ solution included blowing cold, compressed air over the inspection tool in order to combat the welding temperatures. A video camera was then used in combination with a shaft encoder to further inspect weld defect areas. “This is the first time that these types of manifold system have been inspected using a combination of laser, video and ultrasonic measurement techniques. The end customer asked for this and OMS was able to provide it. Many customers think that laser and video-based measurement techniques are too complex and so are only used in laboratory work and not in production environments, but OMS has proved the doubters wrong,” enthuses Gooch. For more information on OMS and its range of pipe measurement services, please visit the website at www.omsmeasure.com or contact the following: Lauren Lionberger (North America) Lauren.Lionberger@omsmeasure.com +1 832 230 0153 Hugh Davies (Rest of World) Hugh.Davies@omsmeasure.com +44 1279 656 038

NEW HAZEX SHOW 2012

New Hazardous Area Event Launched At Maintec 2012 MAINTEC 2012 will now house a new specialist hazardous area event called ‘HAZEX’, in association with Hazardous Engineering Solutions. The new area is being introduced at the show for the first time next February to reflect the growing responsibilities of engineering professionals and the growing concerns and tighter legislation over the health and safety of industrial, commercial and government sites and facilities. Commenting on the new element of the show, Matt Benyon, Managing Director at easyFairs UK & Ireland , says: “HAZEX will offer visitors the opportunity to discover the latest products, legislation, case studies and latest techniques applicable to engineers working within hazardous areas and handling hazardous materials.” He continues: “One of the new minefields for engineering and operations professionals is the mandatory European Community directive ATEX 94/9/ EC. ATEX stands for atmosphere explosive and it is the law in the EU. HAZEX will offer ATEX-approved companies the ideal platform in which to showcase their products and services. Additionally, it provides a forum for companies supplying products to those working in hazardous environments.” Indeed, but it’s not just ATEX that has prompted easyFairs to host the new hazardous area. Health and safety has always been a key theme within MAINTEC, and an important issue that is covered by the exhibition. Earlier in the year a recent report by the Health & Safety Executive found that around 8,000 people die each year from occupational cancers and around 14,000 new cases are reported each year. Many of these tragedies are caused by hazardous substances at work and, therefore, are entirely preventable. Matt Benyon continues: “The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002 provide legislation that must be complied with by all companies throughout the EU. However, to really deal with the problem often means taking action over and above legal requirements. As organisers of MAINTEC that is where we can help, by bringing together the leading hazard prevention experts under one roof, so that visitors can witness first-hand the very latest in hazard prevention training services and products.” HAZARDOUS ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS

Michael Dominguez, Publisher at Hazardous Engineering Solutions, adds: “HAZEX will be a one stop shop for engineers looking to comply with the latest health & safety legislation. Over recent months there have been a few high profiled incidents that have resulted in deaths within the industrial workplace. It is our intention to help engineers and health & safety professionals alike implement the best safety practices available and minimise the risks associated with working within hazardous areas.” Michael continues: “HAZEX will be the ideal platform in which to give engineers the knowledge to all the current tools, services and best practice associated with hazardous engineering. With the extensive combined knowledge of the MAINTEC team and Hazardous Engineering Solutions magazine we are confident that we can deliver a well prepared and needed event that not only enables equipment suppliers to showcase their latest products but also offers engineers the latest legislative and legal trends.” As well as a strong line-up of exhibitors, accompanying the exhibition will be a comprehensive seminar programme covering a variety of topics relating to working with and within hazardous areas. MAINTEC 2012 takes place from Tuesday 28 February to Thursday 1 March 2012 at the NEC, Birmingham. To find out more information about HAZEX or the main show visit www.easyFairs.com/ MAINTECUK, and for stand bookings and exhibiting enquiries contact Jerry Dawson on: +44 (0)20 8843 8823 or email: jerry.dawson@easyFairs.com.

A & A SHOW PREVIEW

HAZARDOUS ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS

PROCESS SAFETY

Process Safety Pays: Leading a Process Safety Culture Process safety is vital to ensure the protection of employees, the environment, communities and corporate reputation. But our research shows that there are gaps in the understanding of process safety management at the most senior levels in industry â&#x20AC;&#x201C; for example Finance Directors, CEOs and Board members. With a number of events in recent years highlighting the need for improved process safety leadership, Cogent SSC explains the importance of process safety and outlines whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s being done to embed process safety within organisations and promote senior management involvement. The petroleum industry has an excellent safety record, but when incidents do occur they can have catastrophic consequences and can severely damage the reputation of an organisation and the industry. Whenever lives are lost, it comes as a stark reminder of the potential dangers involved and constant need for vigilance needed when operating in these high hazard, strategically important, industries. So industry leaders, senior executives and board members all have a critical role to play in improving process safety. Process safety leadership is at the heart of managing a major hazard site â&#x20AC;&#x201C; it is vital to ensure that the risks posed are effectively managed. Since the incidents at Buncefield and Texas City late

in 2005, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has been pressing the UK Process Industry to fully address Process Safety Management (PSM) and its implementation in their organisations. Much has been done by many interested stakeholders during the last several years to try to engage the sector in this important matter. In January 2007, the publication of the Baker Report on the Texas City explosion brought PSM into sharp focus as the principal finding was that the management had not distinguished between occupational safety (i.e., slips-trips-and-falls, driving safety, etc.) as opposed to process safety. Over the past twelve months the issue of process safety has hit the headlines on a number of occasions, reinforcing the need for greater safety and risk awareness at the top. There can be no doubt that a positive approach to process safety leadership and management is critical to successfully managing a major hazard site, and it is true that in the near 30 years that have passed since the Bhopal disaster, process safety has undoubtedly gained the utmost corporate importance, and significant expertise has been developed, with many industry-wide guidelines being established. The concept of process safety has largely been well promoted and adopted amongst engineers working in the petroleum industry, although for some in senior management positions it has remained an issue 17

HAZARDOUS ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS

PROCESS SAFETY

to be delegated. But to maintain exceptional levels of process safety it is crucial that board and senior executives are fully aware of the implications of boardroom decisions on process safety. Why then for some senior executives is this not the case? Possibly because the probability of a major incident occurring is of course very low in the petroleum and petrochemical industries due to the exceptional levels of competence amongst its engineers and operators. Plus the fact that some senior executives and board members may never have had the necessary technical experience, or real-life exposure to the operating environment to fully appreciate how their leadership of the organisation impacts on day to day safety. So to improve further there needs to be a cultural shift, with executives investing more of their own time and resource into the areas of process safety leadership and process safety management, to build and maintain a positive safety culture that flows throughout their organisation, and that enables their organisation to display corporate responsibility through its actions. To do this, process safety needs to be understood at the top table and Cogent SSC and the Skills Academy have worked with decision makers in major petroleum and chemical companies operating around the UK to lead the charge towards excellence in process safety. Their aim is to put process safety at the top of the agenda for every COMAH site. Despite the fact that over the last couple of years various courses and seminars have been developed to encourage businesses to engage in PSM, the uptake has been relatively poor and this contributes to the weaknesses which exist in PSM at senior executive level in many organisations. Reasons cited for the poor uptake have been, for example, the uncoordinated delivery of many PSM topics, confusion over quality assurance of provision, questions over the expertise of those delivering, but notably that there are gaps in the availability of relevant courses or programmes aimed at the executive and board level. Building on previous work, particularly that of the Process Safety Leadership Group, it was recognised in 2010 that a joined-up and integrated programme of PSM training and education for employees at

all levels was needed. Hence Cogent and the Skills Academy formed an industry led board, the Process Safety Management Project Board, including representation from the UK Petroleum Industry Association (UKPIA), the Chemical Industries Association (CIA), Institute of Chemical Engineers (IChemE), Unite the Union, and the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) to lead the development process. The need for understanding at board, senior executive and site director level was a recurring theme for the PSM Board and as a result, a new training standard, Process Safety Leadership for Senior Executives, has been developed and work is continuing to develop process safety training standards for other industry roles. At the request of the PSM Board, and to assure the quality and consistency of provision, the Skills Academy will endorse training courses or programmes and trainers that meet the requirements of the Process Safety Leadership for Senior Executives standard. Training Providers and employers will be able to submit programmes and courses for endorsement against this training standard for delivery from September 2011. (Further PSM standards for other levels in the organisation will be available in early 2012). Since its announcement earlier in early July 2011, there has already been a significant level of interest in committing to using training underpinned by the Process Safety Leadership for Senior Executives training standard. This standard has been developed with employers and stakeholders to identify the skills, knowledge and understanding needed for effective process safety leadership training to take place. Designed to support senior executives, this standard provides a clear framework for understanding the principles of Process Safety Leadership across an organisation and the methods used to deliver sustainable results through engagement of the workforce. As they develop, the Process Safety Management standards will be embedded in the Cogent Gold Standard competency framework which provides a skills benchmark for world class performance for the process industries, including the 19

HAZARDOUS ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS

PROCESS SAFETY

petrochemicals sector. Allan Laing, CEO Pentagon Chemicals and Chair of the Process Safety Management Project Board explains how a dedicated approach to process safety leadership has helped Pentagon Chemicals. “Good process safety leadership requires that key business and operational decisions support and reinforce high standards of process safety management and the control of major hazard risks. Clear and positive process safety leadership is at the core of a major hazard business and is vital to ensure that risks are effectively managed. Training of our operations technicians in process safety essentials has been going on for more than two years at our Workington plant. Operator confidence has undoubtedly improved alongside increased plant performance. It is now essential for the site senior executive to understand the PSM principles employed and take responsibility for the new KPIs to ensure that PSM is firmly embedded in the operating culture. The development of training standards by Cogent SSC and the National Skills Academy for Process Industries will allow employers to develop the necessary expertise to ensure the highest standards of safety and responsible care and we welcome the development of additional training standards along similar lines in the future.” In addition to the planned launch of the Process Safety Leadership standard, Cogent has recently launched new Guidelines for Competency Management Systems for Downstream and Petroleum sites. The new guidelines are result of extensive consultation and were designed with input from downstream industry experts. They will support the industry’s well developed health and safety policies and procedures. These are constantly under review in the light of new technology, operational experience and the sharing of best practice, as well as legislation. The new guidelines are designed to ensure that an organisation’s competency management system not only improves staff motivation and performance, but critically reduces risks and the potential for human error. HAZARDOUS ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS

Cogent CEO, Joanna Woolf said, “the need for organisation-wide processes for both developing and monitoring the competence of staff is paramount within both the sector and its supply chain. “These guidelines have been designed to ensure such processes leave no stone unturned, and that competency management is enshrined across the entire workforce.” Chris Hunt, Director General UKPIA added, “a sound competency management system aligns organisational needs with the development needs of individuals within the organisation. “It demonstrates that your employees and contractors are competent to carry out the tasks they are required to perform, and that they are continually developing, alongside the introduction of new technology and regulation.” These new guidelines are designed to work handin-hand with Cogent’s Gold Standard competency framework. This provides continuing professional development routes for a range of job roles across the sector and supports critical organisation-wide competence. Together, both these tools provide good practice in competency management, and are fully endorsed by the industry.

Training courses for Process Safety Leadership will be available from September 2011 and will be delivered through a specialist network of quality assured training providers. For further information, contact the National Skills Academy for Process Industries on: 0845 607 0140 or email: industry@process.nsacademy.co.uk.

Do You Remember HAZOPS? Healthy and safety experts are warning businesses to check their security procedures following an explosion in a Scunthorpe leisure centre. Healthy and safety experts are warning businesses to check their security procedures following an explosion in a Scunthorpe leisure centre. Experts from Lorien Engineering Solutions advise that there are processes which can be introduced to help prevent these types of chemical explosions, which occurred in the centre’s plant room. ‘HAZOP’ (HAZard and OPerability analysis) was created as a concept in the 1960’s by ICI after concerns were raised about the safety hazards posed by the increasing size and complexity of their chemical plants. Lorien’s HAZOP expert Andy Cooper said: “The expected outcome of a HAZOP is the identification of process and operation risks, rated to prioritise actions. However another huge bonus that’s happened on every HAZOP that I’ve facilitated is the increase in knowledge about the process including those who designed it, and people who have worked with it – for decades sometimes. “In some people’s eyes HAZOP is a process they will remember, but perhaps not actively participate in, or support within their organisations. They may also consider it inappropriate for their business’s needs. At Lorien however, we are finding a re-emergence of the use of HAZOP as an effective tool to interrogate the design of process systems, and not just on chemical processing. Andy continued: “We’ve seen HAZOP delivering benefits to processes as diverse as food ingredient conversion (cooking, mixing, filling), dairy production, brewing processes, pharmaceutical dose formulation, and plant utilities. Recently we have also been involved with waste composting facilities, waste-to-energy (CHP) plants, and even dosing systems for public swimming pools. “Today we are busier than ever delivering facilitated HAZOP sessions, which is good for our client’s businesses in terms of managing their risks.” Lorien Engineering Solutions deliver HAZOPs to meet the needs of 21st century problems in a wide range of industries. HAZOP is only one tool in the bag of techniques used to monitor design, and to positively influence the safety and operability of systems. Andy added: “We started out developing our HAZOP approach to meet the broad requirements of our food, drinks and pharmaceutical customers, but along the way we also provide other tools such as FMEA (failure modes and effects analysis), Safety and Operability Reviews, DSEAR/ ATEX gap studies, HAC (hazardous area classification), CE-Marking for machines and complex assemblies, and PUWER assessments.”

Lorien Engineering Solutions Limited Tel: +44 (0) 1543 444244 http://www.lorienengineering.com

HAZARDOUS ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS

MACHINE SAFETY

Oil Well Fracture Pump Monitoring And Analysis Using Labview And Ni Rio Technology At Supreme Electrical Services Inc., we want to be the best packager and integrator of controls and instrumentation technology for any industry in which we compete. Our goal is to package with the best offthe-shelf hardware available and to package it in such a way that it withstands the harshest environments commonly found in the oil field. We feel that NI hardware and LabVIEW software provide the optimal solution for our application, and we have made them the backbone of our entire control system.

Oil Well Monitoring System Our oil well monitoring system is designed to monitor the performance of vital pump components during operation. Our preliminary product is focused on monitoring highpressure fracturing pumps in well-stimulation applications. Each fracturing unit has a high horsepower diesel engine and transmission mated to a triplex or quintaplex pump. Both the engine and the transmission come equipped with an electronic interface that monitors critical functions and provides diagnostic information as the unit is running. The engine and transmission output the data they monitor via an SAE J1939 communication protocol.

Other hardware solutions we considered were not able to provide the high-speed I/O and analysis to catch the

Currently, pumps in this industry do not contain more

momentary pressure spikes and vibration indications

than a couple of discrete sensors that monitor their critical

of these oil well service fracturing pumps. The field-

operating parameters. Typically, discharge pressure, RPM,

programmable gate array (FPGA) and ability to perform

lube oil pressure, and lube oil temperature are monitored.

fast Fourier transform (FFT) analysis on the data make

Each of these parameters is measured with an individual

CompactRIO, NI Single-Board RIO, and LabVIEW a

sensor and signal cable that goes back to the main control

perfect solution for this application.

console.

HAZARDOUS ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS

MACHINE SAFETY

The goal of our product is to monitor these functions as

•

well as several others and transmit that data back to the main control console via the same SAE J1939 controller

Operating systems – Windows XP Embedded, Windows CE, Linux®

•

Industry-specific protocols – SAE J1939, J1587,

area network (CAN) protocol. Our system needs to look for

J1708; Modbus; Ethernet, 802.11; PROFIBUS

data characteristics outside the normal operating envelope

Customized Deployment with NI Single-Board RIO

and failure conditions. With this real-time information,

Because of the small form factor and the low cost

operators can determine if they should discontinue

of NI Single-Board RIO, we see great value in using

operation or continue based on real performance

this hardware to provide a customized solution

indications from the pump. Ultimately, this system should

to our customers. With both CompactRIO and NI

reduce the number of pump failures as well as overall

Single-Board RIO, we are able to offer the ability to

pump maintenance costs.

create different form factors and price points for our

Rugged Deployment with CompactRIO and LabVIEW For what we do, there is not a more capable hardware package than CompactRIO. We also like that we can develop software in LabVIEW faster than most other programming environments. LabVIEW has made the software development side much quicker than our past experiences in C-based programming. What most C programmers take two years to do, we can accomplish in a couple of months. We can use that time savings to get to market quicker and capitalize on our competitors’ lag time.

monitoring systems. Fortunately, the transition from CompactRIO to NI Single-Board RIO is a very quick and seamless process because of the standard NI reconfigurable I/O (RIO) hardware architecture and LabVIEW. NI SingleBoard RIO has the same hardware architecture as CompactRIO, so we are able to reuse our LabVIEW code in our NI Single-Board RIO hardware without any major coding changes. The Advantage of a Solution from National

We are using the LabVIEW software platform to

Instruments

program the real-time processor, FPGA, and I/O with

We are very pleased with the quality of products and

the CompactRIO system and interface to control and

support we have received from NI. NI has handled our

monitor every aspect of the well servicing and stimulation

technical issues with urgency and followed through to

equipment commonly found in our industry. We believe

help us complete our application. Everyone at NI, from

that the modular I/O and the rugged CompactRIO system

support engineers to the direct sales engineers, has

are perfect because they can handle the shock and

in-depth technical and business knowledge of their

vibration and wide-ranging temperatures experienced while

product lines. It has truly been a pleasure working with

mounted to a mobile piece of equipment that is dragged

such a supportive and professional group.

up and down oil field roads around the world. The openness of LabVIEW and National Instruments hardware make it easy to interface to a variety of sensors,

Author Information: Robert Stewart, Senior Vice President

software, and protocols such as the following:

Supreme Electrical Services, Inc

•

Sensors – Pressure transducers, magnetic pickup

Email:

sensors, digital encoders, temperature sensors,

R.Stewart@supreme-electrical.com

nuclear densitometers, magnetic flow meters,

Website:

Correollis flow meters, and so on •

Software – Coiled-tubing fatigue, wellbore-simulation

www.supreme-electrical.com

software 23

HAZARDOUS ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS

MACHINE GUARDS

Car Giant Honda Selects Procter Machine Guarding To Supply Its New Car Plant In Swindon. The plant was the first ‘green field’ car plant to be built in Britain in eight years, with an investment of £130 million. The plant exports the new Civic three-door model to the Japanese and US markets, as well as continuing to supply the European market. The most advanced production systems in the world are being utilised to increase the factories’ total output to 250,000 units per year now the new plant is running at full production capacity. To protect its workforce, Honda has invested in the very latest machine guarding equipment. It selected Angel, a product that was so new it had not even been launched when Honda placed its order. Procter, based in South Wales and Yorkshire, had given Honda a preview of Angel, in May 2000. Honda was so impressed it signed a six-figure contract in the October for this revolutionary new product. Honda ordered a bespoke collection of lift, machine and store compounds along with thousands of metres of fencing and secure access gates including: •

4m high Stores compounds

•

1945 lineal metres of 2m high line guarding

•

6m high guards around drop lifter units

•

65 interlocked pedestrian access gates

•

13 sets of double leaf gates

•

3 sliding gates

HAZARDOUS ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS

Andrew Golesworthy , Engineering Manager at Honda, responsible for overseeing the design and installation of the Angel system, explains how Honda has benefited by working with Procter and choosing Angel to protect its workforce. “We decided to use Angel after going through an extensive analysis based on our requirements, including: fit for purpose, future expansion, modification, British Safety and EU compliance, and cost. After considering several leading manufacturers, it was clear that Procter and Angel could best fulfill our needs. “The total installation was carried out on a tight budget and time scale and everything was delivered on cost in good time. Because the guarding is so flexible, it allowed us to make last minute modifications with no disruption to other works, or to the timing of installations. “The physical appearance of the Angel guard lends itself well to the modern factory with its sleek minimalist lines, giving an overall professional look to our robotic manufacturing lines. Andy concludes : “I would recommend the use of the Angel guarding system for the quality and adaptability of the system but also for the overall support from Procter on site.

“ It was clear that Procter and Angel could best fulfil our needs.” Andrew Golesworthy , Engineering Manager, Honda.

CENTRIFUGAL FANS

Halifax Fans Blow Hot Out In The Cold. The design and supply of equipment for the oil, gas and petrochemical industries are demanding enough but it becomes all the more so when the equipment is to

Above:

be installed in the sub-zero temperatures encountered north of the Arctic Circle. The centrifugal fans supplied to GBA Flare Systems for the Air Assisted Process Flare as part of the Elevated Flare Package on Statoilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Snorvit LNG Project on Melkoy Island, Hammerfest, Norway had not only to meet ATEX standards but temperatures down to -35o C. Two large centrifugal fans were required to supply air to the process flare to achieve smokeless combustion of waste gases, each fan being capable of supplying 50% of the total required air volume. In addition, a smaller purge fan was required to provide a steady supply of purge air into the riser when the combustion air fans are shut down in order to keep a minimum flow of air passing into the system and to prevent hydrocarbon gas falling back into the air riser. Due to the potentially hazardous environment, HAZARDOUS ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS

GBA Flarestack at Melkoy Island, Hammerfest

all electrical equipment and instrumentation had to be certified for at least Zone 1 IIB T3 or better, junction boxes had to be rated to IP65 and the fans themselves and associated equipment had to satisfy the requirements of ATEX Group II Category 2. The climatic conditions imposed their own demands. The whole package had to be suitably designed and constructed mechanically to cope with the harsh environmental conditions, notably an ambient temperature range between -20oC to +50oC and a maximum snowfall depth of 2.3 metres. The application demanded extra thickness 43D carbon steels for all the fan fabrications which were then subject to certified low temperature impact testing. A further major requirement was the surface preparation and protective coating of these fabrications. This work all had to comply with a stringent Statoil specification that required that all corners be ground to specific radii and all welds ground to a completely smooth surface finish prior to grit blasting. The prepared surfaces

CENTRIFUGAL FANS

were then coated with a priority four-coat paint system to a nominal DFT of 370μm. All stages of preparation and protective coating were subject to thorough scrutiny by the client prior to the issuance of acceptance and guarantee certificates.

fitted with pneumatic actuators for open/ close operation and limit switches in EExe IP67 enclosures. All the linkages had to be enclosed for weather protection and interface connections were made through stainless steel EExe junction boxes.

The two main fans, 250kW Halifax size 64 Beaufort backward inclined units, were directly driven through spacer couplings and bespoke M12 bearing units by 6-pole EExe special project motors while the smaller 7.5kW purge fan, a Halifax size 19 Mistral backward curved unit, was directly driven by a 2-pole EExe special project motor. Overall the project included inlet boxes with weather hoods, bird screens, inlet attenuators, acoustic enclosures, outlet ductwork, fire/isolation dampers, motor snow shrouds and flexible connections all mounted on substantial and robust skids. The bearing units were also fitted with quick- connect studs for vibration monitoring purposes.

Following fine balancing of impellers and rotating assemblies, fan sets were subject to in-house witnessed run testing and all vibration levels recorded and accepted. During the course of the contract, exacting and detailed files and records were produced and at every stage of design and manufacture certificates were obtained and issued to complete a full and comprehensive dossier of the project.

Control of the lead fan was achieved by an inlet vane control damper manufactured in stainless steel complete with a pneumatic actuator and position control, again certified to Zone 1 IIA T3. Stainless steel outlet fire dampers were

According to Operations Director Ian Crum “this was one of the most demanding and comprehensive projects Halifax Fan has ever carried out. Our ability to carry out in-house testing and certify the fan sets to ATEX Category 2G and to issue a 48 month extended warranty set us apart from many of our competitors. We had to be extremely fastidious with our processes, testing and record keeping to meet the client’s demanding standards but this is not surprising when you consider the operational environment of this equipment. I’m pleased to report that the installation is now operating to the complete satisfaction of the customer and the end user.” Halifax Fan Ltd Mistral Works Brookfoot Business Park Elland Road Brighouse, W Yorks HD6 2SD

Above: Flarestack fan & motor at Melkoy Island, Hammerfest

Tel 01484 475123 Fax 01484 475122 e-mail:- Ian@halifax-fan.com web:- www.halifax-fan.com 27

HAZARDOUS ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS

BUYERS GUIDE 2011

CONSULTANCY & INSPECTION

ATEX EXPLOSION HAZARDS

CONTROL PANELS

CABLE GLANDS

DRUM HANDLING

CONTROL PANELS

ENCLOSURES

EXPLOSION PROTECTION

To advertise here please contact : Paul Miles Tel: +44 (0)1634 731646 Email: paul@hazeng.com

HAZARDOUS ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS

BUYERS GUIDE 2011

TEST CERTIFICATION

TRAINING

HES VACANCY OF THE MONTH

Process Operations Manager (Hazardous Waste) A leading UK hazardous waste company is looking for a chemical or mechanical engineer with experience in a process management role to

•

take on full operational management responsibility for their Indirect Thermal Desorption plant (IDT).

• • • •

Responsibilities • • • • • •

Management of the operational aspects of the ITD Improve operational efficiency and productivity from the commissioning stage to a fully established process within specified budgets and timescales Health and Safety Management Systems and all relevant health and safety related legislation Environmental Management Systems and all relevant environmental legislation Quality Management Systems. Implement and maintain plant PPM systems

• •

•

Location Newcastle, North East £35000 - £45000/annum £40,000 plus benefits

Holding or working towards CPC (national). WAMITAB COTC in the Treatment and Transfer of Hazardous Waste (Level 4) Excellent working knowledge and experience of chemistry and/or chemical engineering, waste management activities, operations and practice Operational management experience, preferably within a continental shift pattern

HAZARDOUS ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS

•

Salary/Rate

Skills required • •

• •

Extensive experience of waste treatment facility management, processing equipment and treatment processes for treating waste from a broad range of industry sectors Knowledge and understanding of CAD Understanding of the commercial aspects of plant operation In depth knowledge of current health, safety and environmental legislation Computer literate including Microsoft Excel, Word and Outlook P&L experience Understanding of environmental management including operations, technical, legislative and commercial aspects Proven ability in the successful management of customer and client relationships Well developed management, written and verbal communication skills

negotiable Job Reference AH037

Job ID 107682229

To apply: contact Abi at Willow Shaw quoting AH037 Tel: 01527 576416 Email: abi@willowshaw.co.uk Website http://www.willowshaw.co.uk