Amerada Hess Corp Port Reading Refining Facility - Executive Summary |
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ACCIDENT RELEASE PREVENTION AND RESPONSE POLICIES Since 1988, the Amerada Hess Corporation has implemented and continues to be committed to maintaining a Risk Management Program as outlined in the New Jersey Toxic Catastrophe Prevention Act (TCPA). This Risk Management Program addresses all the requirements of the NJDEP, OSHA, and EPA regulations, as well as company policies. Our policy is to protect the community and our workers from accidental releases of chemical substances by training and retaining skilled workers and implementing design, operational and maintenance controls and procedures to prevent releases and to reduce the extent and impact of a release. Procedures have been adopted which govern how engineering, operations, inspection, maintenance, training, accident investigation, and modifications are conducted. These procedures are an integral part of the Risk Management Program and of the refining facility routine operation. In the event of an accide ntal release of a hazardous substance, our personnel are trained to respond, contain the release and mitigate the consequences of the release. In 1999 the Refining Facility received a commendation from the Mayor of Woodbridge Township for the participation in the Woodbridge Community Advisory Panel and for the ongoing dialog with the community. DESCRIPTION OF FACILITY The Amerada Hess Corporation Refining Facility is located at 750 Cliff Road in Port Reading, New Jersey. The facility is located on approximately 210 acres, and is in an industrial/commercial area, with the nearest residential locations to the west. The refining facility was refurbished and commissioned in 1985 based on State of the Art Technology available at that time. All subsequent modifications were designed with the best available technology consistent with our Risk Management Program. This facility is designed to catalytically crack heavy vacuum gas oil and residual oils using a fluid catalytic process to ma ke gasoline blending components, fuel oils, liquid petroleum gasses (LPG), fuel gas and sulfur. The facility does not process crude oil and has fewer types of units on site than a typical crude oil refinery. It has a maximum processing capacity of 62,500 barrels per day of raw materials. OFFSITE CONSEQUENCES ANALYSIS RESULTS Worst Case Scenarios (WCS) The Flammable Worst Case Scenario for this facility was determined to be a Vapor Cloud Explosion from the release of 94178 pounds of butanes and gasoline from the Acid Settler in the Alkylation Unit. The offsite consequence of a one PSI (Pounds per Square Inch) overpressure was determined using the Baker-Strehlow model found in DNV Technical Phast Professional Version 6.0. This overpressure reached the endpoint of 0.16 miles from the source of the release and affects residents west of the facility. The endpoint of 1 PSI is intended to be conservative and protective; it does not define a level at which severe injuries or death would be commonly expected. An overpressure of 1 PSI is unlikely to have serious direct effects on people; this overpressure may cause property damage such as partial demolition of houses, which can result in injuries to people and shattering of glass windows, which may cause skin lacerations from flying glass. To prevent this WCS from happening, we have safety relief systems to avoid overpressure situations that are hard piped to a safety flare system, a preventive maintenance program to maintain our equipment in good conditions, written operating procedures to assure that the process is safely controlled at all times, a well trained 24 hour emergency response team on site to promptly respond to an emergency, fire monitors in the area to help dissipate any vapor cloud formation, procedures controlling hot work in the area.. Although controls are in place to prevent releases and manage the consequences of those releases, no credit for administrative controls (release prevention or release mitigation controls) or passive mitigation measures was taken into account in evaluating this scenario. Alternate Release Scenarios Alternate Release Scenario The Alternate Flammable Release Scenario for this facility was determined to be the BLEVE (Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion) involving a propane storage tank (26,700 gallons). The release may affect offsite receptors in the Conrail Railroad Yard next to our facility. To mitigate this from happening, we have safety relief systems to avoid overpressure situations, fixed water deluge system to prevent overheating of the vessel to minimize the possibility of a BLEVE, a well trained 24 hour emergency response team on site to promptly respond to the emergency, a written emergency response plan to give guidance to the responders and sufficien t fire equipment to handle this problem. To prevent this from happening, we have a preventive maintenance program to maintain our equipment in good condition, procedures controlling hot work in the area, active safety systems, water deluge & relief valves in place and well trained employees. GENERAL ACCIDENTAL RELEASE PREVENTION PROGRAM STEPS The Refining Facility assigned task leaders to manage each element of the thirteen elements of Process Safety Management and the RMP. There are also task auditors assigned to review the elements. There is a RMP Manager who has overall responsibility for the program and reports directly to the Refinery Manager. The elements of the RMP are as follows: Employee Participation: This facility has trained and dedicated employees who are encouraged to make suggestions that reduce risks in this facility through our safety committee, through participation in process hazard analysis, and in developing and improving procedures. Process Safety Inf ormation: This facility has developed and updates process safety information that is used to develop operating limits and in the hazard analysis of the processes. Process Hazard Analysis: This facility has conducted process hazard analysis using the HAZOP technique on all covered processes and revalidates the process hazard analyses on a five year schedule. The HAZOP technique looks at what can go wrong in a process, what the consequences are, and what safeguards are in place. If the hazard analysis team determines additional safeguards are needed, then they submit recommendations. In addition, any modifications that are made to the process are also subject to a hazard analysis to assure the ongoing safety of the facility. All recommendations identified by the hazard analysis team are addressed. Operating Procedures: This facility maintains written procedures that address various modes of process operations, such as (1) pre-startup, (2) unit startup, (3) normal operations, (4) temporary operations, (5) emergency shutdown, and (6) normal shutdown. These procedures are used as a reference by experienced operators and provide a basis for consistent training of new operators. These procedures are periodically reviewed and annually certified as current and accurate. The procedures are maintained current and accurate by revising them as necessary to reflect changes made through the management of change process. In addition, key process parameters are identified in procedures that provide guidance on how to respond to "upper" and "lower" limit exceedances for specific process or equipment parameters. This information , along with written operating procedures, is readily available to operators in the process unit and for other personnel to use as necessary to safely perform their job tasks Training: This facility has developed a comprehensive training program to document and verify that the operators understand the tasks they are required to perform. Th is includes basic training for new employees, and classroom and on the job training for specific operating jobs. Verification of the training is through written tests, demonstrations, and trainer observations. Refresher training is required for all operators at least every three years. Refresher training is required for any operator that has not performed a job within a year. Contractors: This facility requires that the contractors perform their tasks safely and understand the safe work practices that must be followed. Contractors and visitors receive an orientation covering our Emergency Response Plan, an overview of the processes in the facility, requirements for HAZWOPER awareness level, and various facility procedures. Their entrance, presence, and exit from the facility are controlled. All work performed by outside contractors is reviewed by Amerada Hess Corporation refining facility personnel. Procedures have been developed to assure documentation of a contractors safety program, awareness of a contractors safety and work performance and a subjective bid evaluation focusing on safety. Pre-Startup Safety Review: This facility requires that a review of the Risk Management Program requirements and a field verification be performed before hazardous materials are introduced in any new or modified process to confirm that all the modifications meet the requirements for safe operation. Mechanical Integrity: This facility has a computerized Maintenance Management Program to assure that all of the equipment is scheduled at the appropriate time frame for inspection and preventive maintenance. The Preventive Maintenance (PM) program provides for the inspection and testing of all pertinent equipment in the facility. Internal and external inspections of process vessels, service of pressure safety devices, and testing of safety controls and interlocks are performed on stream, when practical, and during planned turnarounds. Piping and remaining equipment ar e tested and serviced regularly in accordance with industry practice and manufacturers' recommendations. A written description of the Preventive Maintenance Program has been developed detailing the functions of the program. Documentation of preventive maintenance and testing is maintained in the computerized Maintenance Management System program software and in the Maintenance Department's files. A tabulation of scheduled versus performed preventative maintenance is reviewed annually. Safe Work Practices: This facility has a comprehensive Hot Work Procedure that all personnel including must follow. This is fundamental part of our safe work practices that protect not only our personnel but also help prevent accidents that could have potential off site consequences. Management of Change: This facility has a Management of Change program to assure that any changes involving the process undergoes a thorough review to assure that they meet design requirements, have a hazard analysis performed, have process safety information updated, have appropriate procedures updated if needed, have the required changes in the maintenance program updated, have the effects on emergency response plans reviewed and have the appropriate information/training given to the operators prior to implementation of the change. Incident Investigation: This facility has a comprehensive Incident Investigation Program that reviews all incidents and "near misses" in the facility with emphasis on the root causes. This is an integral part of our Risk Management Program to identify both potential problems as well as actual problems and take corrective actions to prevent potential releases that can affect our employees and surrounding community. Compliance Audits: This facility conducts internal audits of the Risk Management Program to assure that all the requirements are being followed. In addition to the internal audits, there are audits conducted by qualified consultants hired by our Corp orate Safety Department and by representatives of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. FIVE-YEAR ACCIDENT HISTORY This refining facility has not had any accidents involving any regulated substances in covered processes in the past five years that resulted in any of the following: (1) on-site deaths, injuries, or significant property damage (2) offsite deaths, injuries, property damage, evacuations, sheltering in place or environmental damage. EMERGENCY PLANNING AND RESPONSE This refining facility has a written emergency response plan coordinated with the Woodbridge Township Office of Emergency Management (This is the organization that is the LEPC) in addition, to working closely with the Port Reading, NJ Fire Department. As part of this program, there is a 24 hour emergency response team on site which is trained to respond to and mitigate any emergency releases or fires. PLANNED CHANGES TO IMPROVE SAFETY This facility conducts ongoing efforts to reduce risk through the Risk Management Program. These include implementation of recommendations from hazard analyses, suggestions from employees, recommendations from incident investigations, recommendations from compliance audits, reviews of the Preventive Maintenance Program information and improvements in equipment design. The following are types of changes are planned: Additional remote pump shutoff's on butane transfer pumps. Remote isolation valves on the butane spheres. A flow alarm system for our gasoline blending. Additional snuffing steam for pump seals. Revised Preventive Maintenance schedules on equipment. Protection of key buildings from explosions (Facility Siting). Additional hydrocarbon detectors in control rooms. |