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Risk-based process safety assessment and control measures design for offshore process facilities
Faisal I Khan1, Rehan Sadiq, Tahir Husain
1Faculty of Engineering & Applied Science, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NF, Canada A1B 3X5. fkhan@engr.mun.ca
Journal of Hazardous Materials
|July 27, 2002
Summary
Process operations on offshore oil and gas platforms are highly hazardous. This study presents a risk-based methodology for designing safety measures during the initial design phase to mitigate potential catastrophes and reduce fatal accident rates.
Area of Science:
- Process Safety Engineering
- Offshore Oil and Gas Operations
- Risk Management
Background:
- Process operations on offshore oil and gas (OOG) platforms present significant hazards due to confined spaces, limited ventilation, and challenging escape routes.
- Minor incidents in OOG process operations can escalate into major catastrophes, demanding robust safety protocols.
- Implementing additional safety controls during operation increases platform congestion and load, highlighting the need for proactive design.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a methodology for risk-based process safety decision-making specifically for offshore oil and gas activities.
- To demonstrate the application of this methodology to critical process units on OOG platforms.
- To validate the effectiveness of designed safety measures in reducing high Fatal Accident Rate (FAR) values.
Main Methods:
- Development of a risk-based decision-making framework for OOG process safety.
- Application of the methodology to specific OOG process units, including compressors, separators, flash drums, and driers.
- Design of tailored safety measures based on the identified risk potential for each unit.
Main Results:
- The risk-based methodology provides a structured approach to safety decision-making for OOG platforms.
- Specific safety measures were designed for various offshore process units based on their risk profiles.
- Implementation of the designed safety measures effectively reduced high Fatal Accident Rate (FAR) values to acceptable levels.
Conclusions:
- Integrating risk-based safety design at the early stages of OOG platform development is crucial for preventing process operation eventualities.
- The proposed methodology offers a practical approach to enhance safety in offshore process operations.
- Proactive safety design significantly contributes to reducing the likelihood and severity of accidents in the OOG industry.