Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 19 views

    1.1.2 Isolations Removed Too Soon: 1.1 Isolation

    Uploaded by

    kara_25
    The document discusses three incidents related to poor isolation practices during maintenance. In the first incident, a pump relief valve was removed without proper isolation, which led to an explosion that killed many people. The second incident discusses isolations being removed too soon during an ethylene compressor maintenance, allowing gas to leak in. The third incident involved relying only on valve isolations instead of slip-plating when maintaining a reactor.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    1.1.2 Isolations Removed Too Soon: 1.1 Isolation

    Uploaded by

    kara_25
    19 views1 page
    The document discusses three incidents related to poor isolation practices during maintenance. In the first incident, a pump relief valve was removed without proper isolation, which led to an explosion that killed many people. The second incident discusses isolations being removed too soon during an ethylene compressor maintenance, allowing gas to leak in. The third incident involved relying only on valve isolations instead of slip-plating when maintaining a reactor.

    Original Title

    1_22

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    The document discusses three incidents related to poor isolation practices during maintenance. In the first incident, a pump relief valve was removed without proper isolation, which led to an explosion that killed many people. The second incident discusses isolations being removed too soon during an ethylene compressor maintenance, allowing gas to leak in. The third incident involved relying only on valve isolations instead of slip-plating when maintaining a reactor.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    19 views1 page

    1.1.2 Isolations Removed Too Soon: 1.1 Isolation

    Uploaded by

    kara_25
    The document discusses three incidents related to poor isolation practices during maintenance. In the first incident, a pump relief valve was removed without proper isolation, which led to an explosion that killed many people. The second incident discusses isolations being removed too soon during an ethylene compressor maintenance, allowing gas to leak in. The third incident involved relying only on valve isolations instead of slip-plating when maintaining a reactor.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 1

    1.

    1 ISOLATION 7

    The 1988 explosion and fire on the Piper Alpha oil platform in the
    North Sea, which killed 163 people, was also caused by poor isolation.
    A pump relief valve was removed for overhaul and the open end blanked.
    Another shift, not knowing that the relief valve was missing, started up
    the pump. The blank was probably not tight, and light oil leaked past it
    and exploded in the confined processing area. The official report [18] con-
    cluded “that the operating staff had no commitment to working to the
    written procedure; and that the procedure was knowingly and flagrantly
    disregarded.” The loss of life was greater on Piper Alpha than on the
    other two incidents because oil platforms are very congested and escape
    is difficult.
    Section 18.1 describes similar incidents.

    1.1.2 Isolations Removed Too Soon


    An ethylene compressor was shut down for maintenance and correctly
    isolated by slip-plates. When repairs were complete, the slip-plates were
    removed before the machine was tried out. During the tryout, some eth-
    ylene leaked through the closed isolation valves into the machine. The
    ethylene/air mixture was ignited, either by a hot spot in the machine or
    by copper acetylide on the copper valve gaskets. The compressor was
    severely damaged.
    Isolations should not be removed until maintenance is complete. It is
    good practice to issue three work permits—one for inserting slip-plates
    (or disconnecting pipework), one for the main job, and one for removing
    slip-plates (or restoring disconnections).
    A similar incident occurred on a solids drier. Before maintenance
    started, the end cover was removed, and the inlet line was disconnected.
    When maintenance was complete, the end cover was replaced, and at
    the same time the inlet pipe was reconnected. The final job was to cut off
    the guide pins on the cover with a cutting disc. The atmosphere outside
    (but not inside) the drier was tested, and no flammable gas was detected.
    While cutting was in progress, an explosion occurred in the drier. Some
    solvent had leaked into the inlet pipe and then drained into the drier [19].
    The inlet line should not have been reconnected before the guide pins
    were cut off.

    1.1.3 Inadequate Isolation


    A reactor was prepared for maintenance and washed out. No welding
    needed to be done, and no entry was required, so it was decided not to
    slip-plate off the reactor but to rely on valve isolations. Some flammable
    vapor leaked through the closed valves into the reactor and was ignited
    by a high-speed abrasive wheel, which was being used to cut through

    You might also like