Module Catalogue 2024/25

Pre Requisite Comment

N/A

Co Requisite Comment

N/A

Aims

This module takes the students' theoretical knowledge of the concepts of safety (taught in Stage 2; CME2031) and provides a more advanced insight into aspects related to the Chemical Engineering Industry. This will include appreciation and understanding of statutory Design Standards and best industrial practice in relation to the design, operation and control of a plant.

Outline Of Syllabus

The main subject headings, which outline the syllabus of this module, are:
-       Design Standards: specific design standards related to the design of pressure vessels.
-       Thermal safety and thermal runaway (Exothermic Reaction Hazards)
-       Venting and relief valve sizing using standards, including the DIERS method.
-       Plant Layout
- Maintenance and safe systems at work.
-       Management of change.
-       Safe design for maintenance and operation.
-       Instrumented Protective Systems.
-       Target Safety Integrity Level (SIL) Assessment.
-       Achieved SIL Assessment.
-       Occupied building assessment.
-       Bio safety.
- Cybersecurity.

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

This module comprises a mixture of theoretical and practical awareness of advanced safety aspects directly related to Chemical Engineering plant. These aspects broadly encompass topics involving the design of plant, control of plant and prevention of incidents.

By the end of this module a student will be able to:

- Understand the design standards governing pressure vessels and apply these in the design of basic pressure
vessels (M3).

- Solve calculations related to the specification and sizing of relief valves (M3).

- Understand the mechanisms which lead to dangerous situations in the chemical industry, with respect to
thermodynamic and kinematic considerations (M5).

- Apply the knowledge of design standards to understand thermal safety (M5).

- Use quantitative design methodology for the prevention of thermal runaway including the application of
reaction and adiabatic calorimetry (M4).

- Understand Instrumented Protective Systems. This will include Target SIL (Safety Integrity Level) Assessment,
what is SIL, standards, how SIL ties in with process safety, i.e. HAZOP, Calculation of target SIL, Use risk
criteria (M2).


- Apply SIL Assessment involving Instrument hardware reliability data, calculation of probability of failure on
demand. Functional testing of instrumented systems and high integrity systems and susceptibility to common
cause failure (M6).

- Understand Plant Layout involving occupied building assessment and safe design. This will involve examples
from industry and will tie in with previous work undertaken on BLEVE, explosions, fire etc. Isolation of
equipment (manual, remote isolation) (M6).

- Choose location of joints and flanges, separation distances for equipment, e.g. storage tanks Off-site
impact, discuss gas dispersion effects and Policy on toxic refuges (M6).

- Understand Management of Change and Maintenance associated with safe systems (C2; M15).

- Understand biosafety and have a basic appreciation of biological hazard groups as well as some critical plant
design aspects of aseptic processing (M9).

- Understand the implications of Cybersecurity in a Chemical Plant (M9).

Intended Skill Outcomes

Students will take their theoretical knowledge of safety (acquired in Stage 2 – CME2031) and basic understanding of process safety (acquired in Stage 1 – CME1025) and transfer this into the appreciation of and solutions to problems more closely associated with those required by the Chemical Engineering industry. This will enhance and round-off the students’ understanding of safety and will allow the student to achieve a level of competence in their approach to hazardous situations.

Skills will include:

• Familiarity with pressure vessel design standards as well as practice with the sizing of associated equipment
such as venting and relief valve sizing (M1).

• The thermal runaway topic will make the student familiar with the most basic knowledge of synthetic chemistry,
physical chemistry and physics, behaviour of chemicals, their reactivity and potential for instability. An
understanding of chemical equilibria and kinetics will be developed (M5).

• Ability to assess and perform Safety Integrity Level (SIL) assessments. This will incorporate previous skills,
such as HAZOP, and the students will be able to use these tools to investigate risk criteria, sources of
failure data (i.e. data collection), calculations associated with failure and functional testing of
instrumented systems (M6).
     
• An appreciation of topics associated with plant layout. This will include consideration of siting of equipment
in relation to fires, explosions and BLEVE’s. Safe design considerations for permanent and temporary building
and location of control buildings. Isolation of equipment, siting of storage tanks, off-site impact and gas
dispersion effects(M6).
     

For bio safety the students will be able to determine sources of relevant information, for example Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens (ACDP) guidelines on hazardous organisms, and how to use the information. The students will gain basic knowledge of the implication of cybersecurity in a chemical plant (M9).

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

More advanced aspects of safety are introduced in lectures and linked to and developed from the theoretical safety subjects (i.e. hazard analysis topics) the student will have covered in Stage 1 and Stage 2.

Lectures will be supported by tutorials for subject follow up and clarification of lecture material and to give the students exposure to aspects of topics not necessarily covered in lectures, i.e. application of theory to practical industrial examples.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

This module takes a more advanced look at aspects of safety within the Chemical Engineering industry. These topics involve a thorough knowledge of the topics and the ability to confidently carry out a number of related calculations.
Therefore, the most significant part of the assessment will be a 1.5 hour examination, which will account for 75% of the mark.

The individual assignment reinforces the subject material with an extended set of tasks that require in depth research, and self-study to achieve a successful outcome. This will be worth 25% of the total mark.

General Notes

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