Alarm Management for Pipelines

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark K. McTavish
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Process Industry ◽  
Transportation Safety ◽  
Alarm Management ◽  
Audit System ◽  
National Transportation Safety Board

In 2005 the National Transportation Safety Board, concluded that an effective alarm review/audit system will increase the likelihood of controllers appropriately responding to alarms associated with pipeline leaks. This paper looks at the pipeline industry in the broader context of process industry alarm management and how the best practices of the process industry apply to the pipeline industry.

The Sinking of the Ethan Allen: A Fresh Look at the Investigation and Cause

2012 ◽  
Vol 46 (6) ◽  
pp. 85-110
Author(s):  
Mark P. D’Angelo ◽  
Drew B. Hains ◽  
Aaron D. Miller
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
New York State ◽  
Transportation Safety ◽  
Fundamental Analysis ◽  
York State ◽  
Intact Stability ◽  
National Transportation Safety Board ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Passenger Vessel ◽  
Lake George

AbstractOn October 2, 2005, the New York State Certified Passenger vessel Ethan Allen heeled to port, capsized, and later sank as it rounded Cramer Point on Lake George. Tragically, 20 passengers died and several others were injured. A National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation ensued which focused on aspects of the intact stability and seakeeping characteristics of the vessel. This article includes a new examination of the NTSB’s lightship determination and an interestingly fundamental analysis of the turn-induced heel and its impact on the resulting capsize. The accident has resulted in a renewed focus on how the stability of small passenger vessels is regulated. As a result, this paper specifically addresses two major findings, the increase in the weight of the average passenger and the lesser reported management of vessel modifications.

T/B APEX 3508: Best Practices for Detection and Recovery of Sunken Oil

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 (1) ◽  
pp. 134-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Sawyer ◽  
Gregory Schweitzer ◽  
Adam Davis ◽  
Jim Elliott ◽  
Gary Mauseth ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Mississippi River ◽  
The United States ◽  
Coast Guard ◽  
Transportation Safety ◽  
Hazardous Substance ◽  
Side Scan Sonar ◽  
Best Available Technologies ◽  
Lower Mississippi River ◽  
Sunken Oil

ABSTRACT On September 2, 2015, two towing vessels collided on the Lower Mississippi River at Mile 937, near Columbus, Kentucky, resulting in the complete breach of the #3 starboard cargo tank on the T/B APEX 3508 and the release of 120,588 gallons of clarified slurry oil (CSO; Group V oil; Specific Gravity: 1.14) into the navigable waterway. The incident was classified as a Major Inland Spill in accordance with the National Oil and Hazardous Substance Contingency Plan and a Major Marine Casualty that was jointly investigated by the United States Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board. Over flights conducted as far as 20 miles downriver indicated only light, sporadic sheening for 1–2 days. On-water and shoreline assessments conducted up to six miles downriver revealed no visible signs of surface oiling. Based on its properties, the vast majority of the CSO was presumed to have sunk, but its precise disposition and location was not confirmed. Using side scan sonar (SSS) technology, two distinct subsurface anomalies with an approximate combined area of 9,200 m2 were identified on the river bed in the vicinity of the incident. The anomalies were confirmed as oil by divers and direct sampling, and were then divided into 25 m grids for identification and tracking. The Unified Command evaluated best available technologies and determined that GPS guided environmental dredging would be the safest, most effective and efficient of the recovery options. The established cleanup endpoint was a maximum of 10% sporadic oil distribution in each grid. Two endangered mussel species were identified as potentially inhabiting the affected area. A diver survey was conducted in the area and concluded that bottom habitat was not likely to support the listed species. Further consultations with the resource manager indicated that proposed recovery operations posed low risk to the species. Recovery operations commenced on September 15, 2015 and concluded on September 25, 2015. Endpoint verification was conducted via SSS. In total, response operations lasted 23 days (eight operational periods), involved over 120 responders and 75 specialized response assets, and cost approximately $5 million. Approximately 2,524 m3 of dredged material (liquid and solids) were removed. After decanting, approximately 1,730 m3of oiled solids representing approximately 50 to 75% of the spilled product was recovered. This case serves as a benchmark for sunken oil detection and recovery operations, and identified many best practices that should be considered on future cases with similar spill conditions.

Major Hazards of Process Equipment Failures in the Chemical Process Industry

2015 ◽  
Vol 735 ◽  
pp. 75-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
N.E. Hussin ◽  
Anwar Johari ◽  
Kamarizan Kidam ◽  
Haslenda Hashim
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Process ◽  
Process Industry ◽  
Transportation Safety ◽  
Process Equipment ◽  
Case Scenario ◽  
Chemical Safety ◽  
Worst Case ◽  
Chemical Process Industry ◽  
Piping Systems ◽  
Equipment Failures

Process equipment failures play significant roles in most accidents that occur and recur in the chemical process industry resulting in fire, explosion, and toxic release. In this study, 50 equipment-related accident investigation reports were used to analyze type and severity of incidents. The comprehensive accident report data were retrieved from U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) and U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) accident databases with a mean year of 2005. Among the identified process equipment failures were piping systems (32%), storage tanks (20%), process vessels (16%), separation equipment (10%), reactors (8%), heat transfer equipment (8%), and others (6%). The analysis shows that 32% of the cases led to fire and explosion, followed by toxic release (26%), and explosion (22%) incidents. A total of 126 fatalities, 590 injuries, 260 exposures, four shelter-in-place, and 13 evacuations were reported. In most accident cases, fire, explosion, and/or toxic release incidents occur simultaneously. The synergy between major hazards results in catastrophic accidents with severe consequences in numbers of fatalities, injuries, exposures, shelter-in-place, and evacuations. To minimize the losses, plant and equipment should be designed and prepared for the worst-case scenario, not just adapting to any ‘applicable’ standards or guidance.

The Use of Injury Biomechanics Principles and Tools in Transportation Accident Investigation

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristin M. Poland
Keyword(s):  
Vehicle Dynamics ◽  
Dynamics Simulation ◽  
Transportation Safety ◽  
Complete Understanding ◽  
Accident Investigation ◽  
Injury Biomechanics ◽  
Investigative Tool ◽  
National Transportation Safety Board ◽  
Investigative Process ◽  
Transportation Accident

The National Transportation Safety Board is furthering its accident investigation capabilities by implementing biomechanical tools and principles in its accident investigative process. Vehicle dynamics simulation is a commonly used investigative tool implemented to develop a complete understanding of how the vehicle moved and accelerated during an accident. Now the Safety Board is looking at both the reactions and actions of the occupants within the vehicle in response to the vehicle dynamics. This paper highlights two cases in which the principles and tools of biomechanics are applied to aid in the investigative process.

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