Safety Of Process Systems Research Articles

Special issue section on process system safety and risk engineering

Special issue section on process system safety and risk engineering

Artificial intelligence – Human intelligence conflict and its impact on process system safety

In the Industry 4.0 revolution, industries are advancing their operations by leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI-based systems enhance industries by automating repetitive tasks and improving overall efficiency. However, from a safety perspective, operating a system using AI without human interaction raises concerns regarding its reliability. Recent developments have made it imperative to establish a collaborative system between humans and AI, known as Intelligent Augmentation (IA). Industry 5.0 focuses on developing IA-based systems that facilitate collaboration between humans and AI. However, potential conflicts between humans and AI in controlling process plant operations pose a significant challenge in IA systems. Human-AI conflict in IA-based system operation can arise due to differences in observation, interpretation, and control action. Observation conflict may arise when humans and AI disagree with the observed data or information. Interpretation conflicts may occur due to differences in decision-making based on observed data, influenced by the learning ability of human intelligence (HI) and AI. Control action conflicts may arise when AI-driven control action differs from the human operator action. Conflicts between humans and AI may introduce additional risks to the IA-based system operation. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the concept of human-AI conflict and perform a detailed risk analysis before implementing a collaborative system. This paper aims to investigate the following: 1. Human and AI operations in process systems and the possible conflicts during the collaboration. 2. Formulate the concept of observation, interpretation, and action conflict in an IA-based system. 3. Provide a case study to identify the potential risk of human-AI conflict.

Research advances on process systems integration and process safety in China

Abstract Process systems engineering research focuses on the planning, design, operation, and safety of process systems rather than unit operations. In response to the rapid growth of the chemical process industry in the last 20 years in China, advanced system integration and process safety technologies are investigated and applied for better resource utilization, less environmental impact, and safer working places. In this regard, the review in this article consists of four main achievements: (1) process synthesis, (2) energy system integration, (3) water system integration, and (4) process safety management. The purpose of process synthesis and integration is to improve resource and energy utilization, at the same time lowering by-products and emissions. Optimization is conducted on process structure and operation, following the principles of resource coupling and energy cascade utilization. Typical examples are coupling of coal and hydrogen-rich resources and integration of coal-based polygeneration process of chemicals, electricity, and heat. Energy integration implements the coordinated optimization of total site energy systems. Reviews are made on specific methodologies based on the thermodynamics and applications of design and retrofit in ethylene, oil refining, and synthetic ammonia industries. There are energy savings by 10%–20% and yields increasing by 20%–30%. In addition, waste heat recovery and cold energy utilization are also important research areas. Reviews on the progress of water system integration and its industrial applications are also conducted. It includes the direct reuse, regeneration, and reuse/recycle in water systems and systems with internal water mains. Finally, safety management and technologies are also indispensable technological advancements of the process. The legislation system and the work safety-related standard system have been gradually established and enforced. Process safety research progress is reviewed, and questions are proposed for improving the accident prevention and safety management agenda.

Model-Based Parameter Estimation for Fault Detection Using Multiparametric Programming

Fault detection has become increasingly important for improving the reliability and safety of process systems. This paper presents a model-based fault detection methodology for nonlinear process systems. The objective of this work is to detect faults by estimating the model parameters using multiparametric programming. The parameter estimates are obtained as an explicit function of the measurements by using multiparametric programming. The diagnosis of fault is carried out by monitoring the changes in the residual of model parameters. Case studies of fault detection for a single stage evaporator system and quadruple tank system are presented. A number of faulty and fault-free scenarios are considered to show the effectiveness of the presented approach. The proposed approach successfully estimates the model parameters and detects the faults through a simple function evaluation of explicit functions.

Process hazard analyses of control and instrument systems

AbstractThe OSHA process safety management (PSM) and EPA risk management program (RMP) standards require that process hazards analyses (PHAs) be performed on processes that contain listed toxic or flammable chemicals. A number of PHA techniques are listed in both standards that can be used to satisfy this requirement. Typical PHA studies use analysis techniques, such as hazard and operability (HAZOP), what‐if, and checklists, to review potential hazards, such as deviations from normal process conditions of flow, temperature, pressure, etc. The influences of control and instrument system failures on process system safety are usually considered indirectly. This paper reviews some of the considerations needed to conduct a PHA that includes control and instrument system failures. Information on (1) how to organize the review analysis team, (2) what type of documentation is needed, and (3) the special considerations needed in a control and instrument system review are included in this paper. The wide use of advanced programmable and electronic systems in the chemical process industry introduces a number of special considerations that must also be included in a review. These considerations are also discussed in this paper.

Safety considerations for electrical heat tracing

Since the advent of electrical heat tracing over 50 years ago, many challenges have confronted industry to ensure safe and reliable heat tracing operation. Reliability of heat tracing systems can directly affect safety-related operations, such as fire protection and emergency eyewash and safety showers. As a good practice, the safety of process systems should not be dependent on the performance of a single component of the heat tracing system. The primary purpose of this article is to address the issue of high-impedance, low-current faults that have been reported in electrical heating cables. These faults usually initiate from phase to ground but have currents that are insufficient to trip the circuit protective device. However, the faults can dissipate enough energy to cause fires and other equipment damage.