On July 13, 1973, in Potchefstroom, South Africa there was an anhydrous ammonia accident involving a catastrophic failure of a pressurized ammonia storage tank that instantaneously released 38 tons of anhydrous ammonia into the atmosphere. Eighteen people died and an unknown number were injured. A visible cloud extended about 1,000 feet wide and about 1,400 feet…...
I am sure many of you have heard the old saying… “it’s just common sense” when it comes to applying PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene) tape, often called “thread sealants” or “plumber’s tape”. Yet this practice is a critical skill for ensuring leak-free connections in threaded piping systems. While it seems straightforward, the direction and tension of the…...
At the heart of any relief system design basis are the “scenarios” chosen to base the sizing of the relief system. The two most common scenarios used are the “fire scenario” and the “blocked-in scenario”. It is the fire scenario I wish to review in this article and what has to go along with this…...
This month marks the 20th anniversary of OSHA’s Process Safety Management standard, which is built upon Recognized and Generally Accepted Engineering Practices (RAGAGEP). There was no way OSHA could write a “specific” standard to cover all the types of processes handling the list of Highly Hazardous Chemicals (HHC) so they instead wrote what is called…...
Auto-refrigeration is a phenomenon common to Anhydrous Ammonia. Anhydrous Ammonia exist in both the liquid and gaseous phases at ambient temperatures with pressures ranging from 2 psig up to 2,500 psig. That is, there is a gaseous layer over the liquefied gas within the pressure vessel…. Membership Required You must be a member to access...
The 2011 addenda of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code includes a new ASME Code stamp which replaces all of the current ASME pressure relief device stamps (V, HV, NV, UV, UD, TD). The new ASME stamp is the same for all Code stamped items, and is accompanied by a “designator” which identifies the specific product. The designator consists…...
The above picture shows a flammable liquid storage tank level indicator with a sight glass spring loaded valve, kept in the open position with a “home made” clip. Although this alert is from our friends in AU, this is ALSO seen worldwide and should be considered a “Lesson Learned” worldwide!… Membership Required You must be a member...
One of the great things about being a consultant is that I get to see things that I would have never been able to see working for a single company. Traveling the world doing PSM/RMP work has given me the opportunity to see how other businesses and cultures do safety and this has enriched me…...
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On the ASME Form U-1 (Manufacturer’s Data Report for Pressure Vessels), the information regarding Postweld Heat Treatment (PWHT) is typically found in Line 14…. Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a member? Log in here...
by Wynand Serfontein, Senior Scientist @ Sasol Technology (Pty) Limited In a safety management system, there is a constant battle to find the optimum balance between procedures and common sense. On the one hand, both our educational systems and legal systems support a culture of procedures. The educational system encourages written material to be studied…...
An ASME B31.3 welding quality assurance (QA) program must cover the full lifecycle of a weldment, from procedure qualification to final testing, to ensure structural integrity. It serves as a mandatory framework for contractors to demonstrate that their processes and personnel consistently meet the minimum safety requirements for process piping. The QA program must include the following:…...
