Process safety

discipline of dealing with and avoiding both natural and man-made disasters, with the goal of reducing the harmful effects

thumb|upright=1.35|Pyrotechnic deflagrations Deflagration (Lat: de + flagrare, 'to burn down') is subsonic combustion in which a pre-mixed flame propagates through an explosive or a mixture of fuel and oxidizer. Deflagrations in high and low explosives or fuel–oxidizer mixtures may transition to a detonation depending upon confinement and other factors. Most fires found in daily life are diffusion flames. Deflagrations with flame speeds in the range of 1 m/s differ from detonations which propagate supersonically with detonation velocities in the range of km/s.

type of explosion

structured and systematic examination of a complex planned or existing process or operation in order to identify and evaluate problems that may represent risks to personnel or equipment

a measurement of relative level of risk-reduction required for a safety instrumented function

explosion resulting from mixing a flammable gas with air in the presence of an ignition source

failure analysis system used in engineering

mathematical simulation of how air pollutants disperse in the ambient atmosphere

loss of control of an exothermic process due to reactivity increasing with temperature

Safety management principle

model used in risk analysis and risk management illustrates that, with layered security, each layer provides protection from certain types of attacks but has weaknesses

violent boiling or flashing of water into steam

procedures for safe production, handling and use of hydrogen

identification of present hazards as the first step in a process to assess risk

European Union directive

A boilover (or boil-over) is an extremely hazardous phenomenon in which a layer of water under a pool fire (e.g., an open-top tank fire) starts boiling, which results in a significant increase in fire intensity accompanied by violent expulsion of burning fluid to the surrounding areas. Boilover can only occur if the liquid fluid is a mixture of different chemical species with sufficiently diverse boiling points, although a so-called thin-layer boilover – a far less hazardous phenomenon – can arise from any water-immiscible liquid fuel. Crude oil, kerosene and some diesel oils are examples of f

system whose failure or malfunction may result in death, serious injury or other severe damage

engineered set of hardware and software controls especially used on critical process systems

unintentional release of one or more hazardous substances which could harm human health and the environment

introduction of inert substance in a closed system

European Union Directive (EU) 2012/18

safe situation when there is low level of danger even if things go wrong

independent U.S. federal agency charged with investigating industrial chemical accidents