Safety and Risk Engineering

ENG 8671/9115 - Assignment 4 (Spring 2017)

(Hazard Identification)
Important points:
You can make appropriate assumptions for the data you believe missing. However,
state your assumptions clearly.
Due: Thursday, July 13th, 2017 at 11:59 PM NDT

1. The hydrolysis of acetic anhydride is being studied in a laboratory-scale continuously

stirred tank reactor (CSTR). In this reaction, acetic anhydride [(CH3CO)2O] reacts with
water to produce acetic acid (CH3COOH). The concentration of acetic anhydride at any
time in the CSTR is determined by titration with sodium hydroxide. Because the titration
procedure requires time (relative to the hydrolysis reaction time), it is necessary to quench
the hydrolysis reaction as soon as the sample is taken. The quenching is achieved by adding
an excess of aniline to the sample. The quench reaction is

{CH3CO)2 + C6H5NH2 CH3COOH + C6H5NHCOCH3.

The quenching reaction also forms acetic acid, but in a different stoichiometric ratio than
the hydrolysis reaction. Thus, it is possible to determine the acetic anhydride concentration
at the time the sample was taken. The initial experimental design is shown in Figure 1.
Water and acetic anhydride are gravity-fed from reservoirs and through a set of rotameters.
The water is mixed with the acetic anhydride just before it enters the reactor. Water is also
circulated by a centrifugal pump from the temperature bath through coils in the reactor
vessel. This maintains the reactor temperature at a fixed value. A temperature controller
in the water bath maintains the temperature to within 1F of the desired temperature.
Samples are withdrawn from the point shown and titrated manually in a hood.

a. Develop a safety checklist for use

before operation of his experiment
b. What safety equipment must be
available?
c. Perform an informal safety review
of the experiment. Suggest
modifications to improve the
safety.

Figure 1. Acetic anhydride reactor system

1|Page
2. A gas-fired furnace and its safety and control measures are shown in Figure 2. Description
of Basic Process Controls the feed flow to the furnace is controlled by regulatory control
loops FC-9 and FC-10. A local self-regulating pressure controller (PCV-6) controls the
pilot gas pressure. The fuel gas flow and coil outlet temperature controls are part of a
cascade control system. The gas flow controller (FC-3) is in cascade with temperature
controller (TC-8). The flow controller manipulates valve FV-3 to control the gas flow at a
set point manipulated by the temperature controller. All regulatory control loops are in the
basic process control system (BPCS), which is located in a control room approximately
200 feet away from the furnace.
a. Identify three potential hazards and for each hazard identify one primary possible
cause.
b. Perform a HAZOP study on the fired heater. Consider the natural gas feed flow
as the parameter for your analysis and use two HAZOP Guideword to perform the
HAZOP study.

Figure 2. A fired heater with safety and control measures.

2|Page