Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Optimal Design of Safety Instrumented Systems for Pressure Control of Methanol Separation Columns in the Bisphenol A Manufacturing Process

Version 1 : Received: 22 December 2016 / Approved: 23 December 2016 / Online: 23 December 2016 (10:12:59 CET)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Lee, I.-B.; Woo, I. Optimal Design of Safety Instrumented Systems for Pressure Control of Methanol Separation Columns in the Bisphenol a Manufacturing Process. Sustainability 2017, 9, 49. Lee, I.-B.; Woo, I. Optimal Design of Safety Instrumented Systems for Pressure Control of Methanol Separation Columns in the Bisphenol a Manufacturing Process. Sustainability 2017, 9, 49.

Abstract

Bisphenol A production plant possesses considerable potential risks in the top of the methanol separation column, as pressurized acetone, methanol and water are processed at an elevated temperature, especially in the event of an abnormal pressure increase due to sudden power outage. This study assesses the potential risks in the methanol separation column through hazard and operability assessment and evaluates the damages in the case of fire and explosion accident scenarios. The study chooses three leakage scenarios: a 5-mm puncture on the methanol separation column, a 50-mm diameter fracture of a discharge pipe and a catastrophic rupture, and simulates using Phast (Ver. 6.531) the concentration distribution of scattered methanol, thermal radiation distribution of fires and overpressure distribution of vapor cloud explosions. Implementation of safety instrumented system equipped with two-out-of-three voting as a safety measure can detect overpressure at the top of the column and shut down the main control valve and the emergency shutoff valve simultaneously, all at the same time. By applying safety integrity level of three, the maximal release volume of the safety relief valve can be reduced and therefore, the design capacity of the flare stack can also be reduced. Such integration will lead to improved safety at a reduced cost.

Keywords

relief system; safety instrumented system; pressure relief valve; safety integrity level; minimize design capacity

Subject

Chemistry and Materials Science, Chemical Engineering

Comments (0)

We encourage comments and feedback from a broad range of readers. See criteria for comments and our Diversity statement.

Leave a public comment
Send a private comment to the author(s)
* All users must log in before leaving a comment
Views 0
Downloads 0
Comments 0
Metrics 0


×
Alerts
Notify me about updates to this article or when a peer-reviewed version is published.
We use cookies on our website to ensure you get the best experience.
Read more about our cookies here.