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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2023/2024

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Engineering : Postgrad (School of Engineering)

Postgraduate Course: Process Safety (MSc) (PGEE10016)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Engineering CollegeCollege of Science and Engineering
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 10 (Postgraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits10 ECTS Credits5
SummaryThis course introduces the basic principles of loss prevention and presents methods of quantitative risk assessment and consequence analysis. Methods which are amenable to hand calculation are emphasised, rather than more complex modelling methods. The legislative framework for safety in the UK, particularly with reference to the chemical and process industries, is outlined.
Course description This course comprises 18 lectures with additional self-studied material and two tutorials.
Lectures
Lect. 1. Introduction. Overview of process safety. Problems of complexity. Principles of Inherent safety.
Lect. 2. & 3 Uk and European Safety Legislation. Historical background. HASAWA, regulations, role of HSC and HSE. European legislative framework.
Lect 4 & 5. The Concept of risk. Definitions of risk and
hazard. Acceptability of risk. Perception of Risk. Quantification of risk. Fatal accident rate. ALARP.
Lect. 6. Probability and Frequency for Risk Assessment. Basic probability calculations. Frequency and duration of coincident events.
Lect. 7. Reliability. Definitions. Failure distributions. Reliability with multiple components. Active and passive failure. Trip reliability. Fractional dead time. Multiple channel trip systems.
Lect. 8. Fault Trees. Construction of fault trees. Finding minimum cut sets.
Lect. 9. Event Trees. Construction of event trees.
Lect. 1 . Hazard Identification. Predictive vs. experience based hazard identification. Checklists and codes of practice. HAZOP methodology. Dow and Mond Indices.
Lect. 11. Occupational Health. Damaging agents. Harmful substances. Assimilation routes. Exposure limits. Toxicology, epidemiology, other methods for establishing exposure limits. COSHH. Exposure control.
Lect. 12. & 13 Fire. Flammability limits, flash point, sources of ignition. Types of fire. Diffusion and pre-mixed flames. Damaging effects. Flame size. Radiation estimation. Boilover. Area Classification.
Lect. 14. Explosions. Types of explosion. Damaging effects. TNT method for overpressure estimation. BLEVE. Dust Explosions.
Lect. 15. Source terms. Leak rates for liquids and gases. Evaporation rates from spills and jets.
Lect. 16. Human Error. Human error rates. Types of error. Performance levels. Reducing human error.
Lect. 17. Safety Management Systems. Hazards of operation and maintenance. Permit to work systems. Preparation of plant for maintenance.
Lect. 18 Safety for Design. Specific advice on safety considerations for design projects.
Tutorials
1. Fatal accident rate, probability of multiple events.
2. Reliability
3. Probit
4. Fault trees
5. Fires
6. Explosions
7. Source terms
Other Teaching Events
Self-Study topics:
Use of Probit functions (revision of previous work using handout and references)
Dust explosions ¿ CSB Video supplementing lecture material - online
Boilover ¿ self study material provided via the web.
Environmental health ¿ additional notes provided for self-study.
Safe Working Systems ¿ additional notes provided for self-study.
Guest lecture ¿Practical Hazard and Risk Management¿ ¿ Graham Dalziel, Safetec.

Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesNone
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Not being delivered
Learning Outcomes
Students should be able to describe the process by which a risk assessment may be carried out on a chemical process; estimate of the consequences of a given accident; estimate the probability of an accident from its contributory events; describe the legislative framework covering safety in the UK; and describe how psychological and sociological effect affect the acceptability of risk.
Reading List
1. Process Safety Analysis - an Introduction, Bob Skelton (IChemE, 1997).
2. Major Hazards and their Management, Geoff Wells (IChemE, 1997).
3. Lees' Loss Prevention in the Process Industries 2nd Ed in Library, 3rd Ed available electronically via the Library.

Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Not entered
KeywordsNot entered
Contacts
Course organiserDr Jennifer Skilling
Tel: (0131 6)50 4863
Email: J.Skilling@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMrs Shona Barnet
Tel: (0131 6)51 7715
Email: Shona.Barnet@ed.ac.uk
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