Experts from Lorien Engineering Solutions are reminding practitioners that there are processes that can be introduced to help prevent chemical explosions.
‘HAZOP’ (HAZard and OPerability analysis) was created as a concept in the 1960s 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 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 clients’ businesses in terms of managing their risks.”
Lorien Engineering Solutions says it delivers 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.
More information is at www.lorienengineering.com
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