Bryans Mill Gas Plant - Executive Summary |
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ACCIDENTAL RELEASE PREVENTION AND RESPONSE POLICIES The Bryans Mill Gas Plant has a long-standing commitment to worker and public safety. This commitment is demonstrated by the resources invested in accident prevention, such as training personnel and considering safety in the design, installation, operation, and maintenance of facility's processes. Sulphur River Resources, L.C. (Sulphur River) policy is to implement reasonable controls to prevent foreseeable releases of substances. However, if a release does occur, trained personnel will respond to, control, and contain the release. DESCRIPTION OF THE STATIONARY SOURCE AND REGULATED SUBSTANCES Sulphur River owns and operates the Bryans Mill Gas Plant located in Cass County, Texas. The Bryans Mill Gas Plant is a gas separation, dehydration, sweetening, and processing facility. The inlet streams ent ering the plant go through separators where crude oil/condensate is separated from the wet gas. The crude oil/condensate is transferred to a raw crude tank and then stabilized in a stabilizer tank. The wet, sour gas stream from the separator is dehydrated using a glycol dehydration system. The dehydrated sour gas is compressed and sent to the Selexol Sweetening Unit where the acid gases (H2S and C02) are removed. The sweet gas is then processed through a cryogenic unit where methane, ethane, and propane are separated from the heavier hydrocarbons. The natural gas liquids from the cryogenic unit are sent to the stabilized crude tanks, where it is combined with the crude oil stream. The residue gas from the cryogenic unit is piped off site. The acid gas from the Selexol Sweetening Unit is recovered in a sulfur recovery unit (SRU). The tail gas from the SRU is sent to an incinerator for destruction. Produc ts are transported from the facility via pipeline and truck. The Bryans Mill Gas Plant was evaluated to determine if any regulated flammable or toxic substances exceeded the threshold quantity. Based on process knowledge, Sulphur River identified the regulated substances and quantities kept on site. Listed flammable substances which are stored above threshold quantities at the Bryans Mill Gas Plant are NGL/condensate, raw crude (condensate), propane and natural gas liquids. However, Sulphur River has determined that raw crude (condensate) has an NFPA flammability hazard rating of 3, which exempts this mixture from threshold determination. Based on worst-case analysis, the distance to the endpoint exceeds the distance to public receptors. In addition, the Bryans Mill Gas Plant is subject to Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA's) process safety management (PSM). Therefore, the B ryans Mill Gas Plant is classified as a Program 3 process under the ARP program. OFF-SITE CONSEQUENCE ANALYSIS RESULTS Flammable Substances - Worst-Case Scenario The endpoint for worst-case release of flammable substances is 1 psi overpressure (i.e., 15.7 psia), resulting from a vapor cloud explosion. The ARP Program requirement for flammables assumes an instantaneous release and vapor cloud explosion. A yield factor of 10 percent of the available energy released in the explosion shall be used to determine the distance to the explosion endpoint based on TNT-equivalent methods. Since the worst-case release scenario for a flammable substance is based on the assumption that the entire quantity of the substance forms a vapor cloud, passive mitigation systems are not applicable. NGL/condensate is the worst-case flammable release with a 1.07-mile distance to the endpoint. Flammable Substanc es - Alternative-Case Scenario A single alternative release scenario for all flammable substances is required under the ARP program. A hypothetical, but likely to occur, release scenario has been identified for propane as follows. Seal failure on the propane make-up pump causes a release from a 1-inch opening at 225 psig and 150 degrees F. The release is assumed to continue for 10 minutes. The propane will vaporize and may ignite in a vapor cloud explosion with an endpoint of I psi overpressure or a vapor cloud fire with an endpoint of the lower flammability limit (LFL) for propane. The alternative-case release of propane resulted in a 0. 11 -mile distance to the 1 psi overpressure endpoint. Toxic Substances The Bryans Mill Gas Plant does not have any toxic substances held above the threshold quantity; therefore, analysis of worst-case or alternative-case release scenarios for toxic subs tances is not required. GENERAL ACCIDENT RELEASE PROGRAM The following is a summary of the of the accident prevention program in place at the Bryans Mill Gas Plant. Because the processes at the plant that are regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) risk management program (RMP) regulation are also subject to the OSHA PSM, this summary addresses each of the OSHA PSM elements and describes the management system in place to implement the accident prevention program. Employee Participation Active employee participation and involvement in the development and implementation of the Bryans Mill Gas Plant's PSM program is an important step toward achieving the objective to prevent or minimize the consequences of catastrophic releases of toxic, reactive, flammable, or explosive chemicals. Employee involvement will help to ensure that all perspectives regarding PSM are considered, and that the best ideas are implemented. Open communicatio ns are encouraged between supervisors and employees regarding all safety and health issues. The Bryans Mill Gas Plant strongly promotes employee involvement in safety issues through existing programs. These programs include Unit Safety Teams (which are made up of a cross section of employees and supervision), regularly scheduled safety meetings, tail-gate safety meetings, Hazard Communication, Safety Suggestion Forms, linear-miss" reporting, and special training programs (emergency response training, first aid, etc.). The Bryans Mill Gas Plant actively seeks employee involvement in the development and conduct of all accident prevention activities through the appropriate existing safety programs. Accident prevention is discussed at the regularly scheduled safety meetings and/or during special training sessions if necessary. Employees are encouraged to discuss accident prevention with their supervisors if they have questions, comments, or suggestions. P rocess Safety Information Complete and accurate written process safety information (PSI) concerning process chemicals, process technology, and process equipment is essential to an effective PSM and RMP programs and to completing and maintaining a process hazard analysis (PHA). The PSI will be useful to the operators; the team performing the PHA; those in charge of training; contractors; those conducting pre-startup safety reviews; and those in charge of updating the emergency preparedness plans. Process safety information is readily available to all employees. The Bryans Mill Gas Plant keeps a variety of technical documents that are used to help maintain safe operation of the process. These documents address chemical properties and associated hazards, limits for key process parameters and specific chemical inventories, and equipment design basis/configuration information. Chemical-specific information, including exposure hazards and emergency response/ exposure treatment considerations, is provided in material safety data sheets (MSDSs). The Bryans Mill Gas Plant also maintains numerous technical documents that provide information about the design and construction of process equipment. This information includes materials of construction, design pressure and temperature ratings, and electrical rating of equipment. This information, in combination with written procedures and trained personnel, provides a basis for establishing inspection and maintenance activities, as well as for evaluating proposed process and facility changes to ensure that safety features in the process are not compromised. Process Hazard Analysis (PHA) The Bryans Mill Gas Plant has a comprehensive program to help ensure that hazards associated with the various processes are identified and controlled. Within this program, each process is systematically examined to identify hazards and ensure that adequate controls are i n place to manage these hazards. The Bryans Mill Gas Plant primarily uses the hazard and operability (HAZOP) and What-if/Checklist method analysis technique to perform these evaluations. The analyses are conducted using a team of people who have operating and maintenance experience as well as engineering expertise. This team identifies and evaluates hazards of the process as well as accident prevention and mitigation measures, and the team makes suggestions for additional prevention and/or mitigation measures when the team believes such measures are necessary. The PHA team findings are forwarded to local and corporate management for resolution. Implementation of mitigation options in response to PHA findings is based on a relative risk ranking assigned by the PHA team. This ranking helps ensure that potential accident scenarios assigned the highest risk receive immediate attention. All approved mitigation options in response to PHA team findings are tracke d until they are completed. The final resolution of each finding is documented and retained. To help ensure that the process controls and/or process hazards do not eventually deviate significantly from the original design safety features, the plant periodically updates and revalidates the hazard analysis results. These periodic reviews are conducted at least every 5 years and will be conducted at this frequency until the process is no longer operating. The results and findings from these updates are documented and retained. Once again, the team findings are forwarded to management for consideration, and the final resolution of the findings is documented and retained. Operating Procedures The Bryans Mill Gas Plant maintains written procedures that address various modes of process operations, such as; (1) startup, (2) normal operations, (3) temporary operations, (4) emergency shutdown, (5) normal shutdown, and (6) initial startup of a new process. These procedures provide guidance for experienced operators and also provide the basis for training new operators. Operating procedures are periodically reviewed and annually certified as current and accurate. The review and certification process involves both operators and technical staff. The intent of the operating procedures is to provide workable, useful, and clearly written instructions for conducting operating activities. To have effective operating procedures, the task and procedures directly and indirectly related to the covered process must be appropriate, clear, consistent, and most importantly, communicated to employees. Operating procedures are specific instructions or details on what steps are taken or followed in carrying out the stated procedures. The specific instructions include the applicable safety precautions and appropriate information on safety implications. Training In addition to training on operating procedures the Bryans Mill Gas P lant has a comprehensive training program for all employees involved in operating the process. New employees receive basic training in gas operations. In addition, all operators periodically receive refresher training on the operating procedures to ensure that their skills and knowledge are maintained at an acceptable level. This refresher training is conducted at least every 3 years. All of this training is documented for each operator including the means used to verify that the operator understood the training. Contractors The Bryans Mill Gas Plant uses contractors to supplement its workforce during periods of increased maintenance or construction activities. Because some contractors work on or near process equipment, the gas plant has procedures in place to ensure that contractors (1) perform their work in a safe manner, (2) have appropriate knowledge and skills, (3) are aware of the hazards of their workplace, (4) understand what they should do in the event of an emergency, (5) understand and follow site specific safety rules, and (6) inform gas plant personnel of any hazards that they find during their work. This is accomplished by providing contractors with an orientation session that covers (1) a process overview, (2) information about safety and health hazards, (3) emergency response plan requirements, and (4) safe work practices prior to beginning their work. In addition, the Bryans Mill Gas Plant evaluates contractor safety programs and performance during the selection of a contractor. Gas plant personnel periodically monitor contract performance to ensure that contractors are fulfilling their safety obligations. Pre-startup Safety Review (PSSRs) The Bryans Mill Gas Plant conducts a PSSR on any new facility or facility modification that requires a change in process safety information. The purpose of the PSSR is to ensure that safety features, procedures, personnel, and equipment are appropriately prepared for startup prior to placing the equipment into service. This review provides one additional check to make sure construction is in accordance with design specification and that all-supporting systems are operationally ready. The PSSR involves field verification of the construction and serves a quality assurance function by requiring verification that accident prevention program requirements are properly implemented. Mechanical Integrity The Bryans Mill Gas Plant has well established practices and procedures for maintaining process equipment. The basic aspects of this program include (1) training, (2) developing written procedures, (3) performing inspections and tests, (4) correcting equipment deficiencies, when identified, and (5) applying quality assurance measures. In combination, these activities form a system that maintains the mechanical integrity of the process. Maintenance personnel receive training on (1) an overview of the process, ( 2) safety and health hazards, (3) applicable maintenance procedures, (4) emergency response plans, and (5) applicable safe work practices to help ensure that they can perform their jobs in a safe manner. Another integral part of the mechanical integrity program is quality assurance. The Bryans Mill Gas Plant incorporates quality assurance measures into equipment purchases and repairs. This helps ensure that new equipment is suitable for its intended use and that proper materials and spare parts are used when repairs are made. Safe Work Practices The Bryans Mill Gas Plant has long standing safe work practices in place to help ensure worker and process safety. Examples of these include (1) control of the entry/presence/exit of support personnel, (2) a lockout/tagout procedure to ensure isolation of energy sources for equipment undergoing maintenance, (3) a procedure for safe removal of hazardous substances before process piping and equipment is opened, (4) a permit and procedure to control spark-producing activities (i.e., hot work), and (5) a permit and procedure to ensure that adequate precautions are in place before entry into a confined space. These procedures (and others), along with training of affected personnel, form a system to help ensure that operations and maintenance activities are performed safely. Management of Change The Bryans Mill Gas Plant has a comprehensive system to manage changes to all covered processes. This system requires that changes to items such as process equipment, technology (including process operating conditions), procedures, and other facility changes be properly reviewed and authorized before being implemented. Changes are reviewed to (1) ensure that adequate controls are in place to manage any new hazards and (2) verify that existing controls have not been compromised by the change. Affected chemical hazard information, process operating limits, and equipment informa tion, as well as procedures are updated to incorporate these changes. In addition operating and maintenance personnel are provided any necessary training on the change. Incident Investigation The Bryans Mill Gas Plant promptly investigates all incidents that resulted in or reasonably could have resulted in, a fire/explosion, toxic gas release, major property damage, environmental loss, or personal injury. The goal of each investigation is to gather the facts, determine the root cause, and develop corrective action to prevent the reoccurrence of the incident or a similar incident. The investigation team documents its findings, develops recommendation to prevent a recurrence, and forwards these results to the business management team for resolution. Compliance Audits To help ensure that the accident prevention program is functioning properly, the Bryans Mill Gas Plant periodically conducts an audit to determine whether the procedures and practices required by the accident prevention program are being implemented. Compliance audits are conducted at least every 3 years. Both hourly and staff personnel participate as audit team members. The audit team develops findings that are forwarded to Bryans Mill Gas Plant management for resolution. Corrective actions taken in response to the audit team's findings are tracked until they are complete. The final resolution of each finding is documented, and the two most recent audit reports are retained. CHEMICAL SPECIFIC PREVENTION STEPS The processes at the Bryans Mill Gas Plant have hazards that must be managed to ensure continued safe operation. The following is a description of existing safety features applicable to prevention of accidental releases of regulated substances in the facility. Universal Prevention Activities The accident prevention program summarized previously is applied to all RMP-covered processes at the Bryans Mill Gas Plant. Collectivel y, these prevention program activities help prevent potential accident scenarios that could be caused by equipment failures and human effors. Specialized Safety Features The Bryans; Mill Gas Plant has safety features on many units to help (1) contain/control a release, (2) quickly detect a release, and (3) reduce the consequences of (mitigate) a release. The following types of safety features are used in the covered processes: Release Detection 1. Hydrocarbon detectors with alarms Release Containment/Control 1. Process relief valves that discharge to a flare to capture and incinerate episodic releases 2. Valves to permit isolation of the process (manual or automated) 3. Automated shutdown systems for specific process parameters (e.g., high temperature) 4. Curbing or diking to contain liquid releases 5. Redundant equipment and instrumentation (e.g., uninterruptible power supply for process control system, backup firewater pump) 6. Atmospheric relief devices Release Mitigation 1. Fire suppression and extinguishing systems 2. Deluge system for specific equipment 3. Personnel trained in emergency procedures 4. Personal protective equipment (e.g., chemical protective clothing, self-contained breathing apparatus) FIVE YEAR ACCIDENT HISTORY The Bryans Mill Gas Plant has an excellent record of accident prevention over the past 5 years. There has been one incident involving a release of lean oil, which had no offsite effects. The incident was investigated very carefully to determine ways to prevent similar incidents from recurring. The recommendations from the investigation were implemented. EMERGENCY PROCEDURE INFORMATION The Bryans Mill Gas Plant maintains a written emergency procedure, which is in place to protect worker and public safety as well as the environment. The plan c onsists of procedures for responding to a release of a regulated substance, including the possibility of a fire or explosion if a flammable substance is accidentally released. The procedures address notification of local emergency response agencies if a release occurs, and post incident cleanup and decontamination requirements. Employees receive training in emergency procedures. The emergency procedure is updated when necessary based on modifications made to Bryans Mill Gas Plant facilities. The emergency procedure changes are administered through the Management of Change (MOC) process, which includes informing and/or training affected personnel in the changes. The overall emergency procedure program for the Bryans Mill Gas Plant is coordinated with the Cass County, Texas, Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC). This coordination includes periodic meetings of the committee, which includes local emergency response officials, local government officials, and industry representatives. The Bryans Mill Gas Plant has around-the-clock communications capability with appropriate LEPC officials and emergency response organizations (e.g., fire department). This provides a means of notifying the public of an incident, if necessary, as well as facilitating quick response to an incident. In addition to periodic LEPC meetings, the Bryans Mill Gas Plant conducts periodic emergency drills that involve the LEPC and emergency response organizations, and the Bryans Mill Gas Plant provides periodic refresher training to local emergency responders regarding the hazards of regulated substances in the plant. PLANNED CHANGES TO IMPROVE SAFETY The Bryans Mill Gas Plant resolves all findings from PHA's, some of which result in modifications to the process. At the current time, no changes are planned in the foreseeable future. |