BOAR'S HEAD PROVISIONS CO. INC. JARRATT, VIRGINIA - Executive Summary |
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Boar's Head Provisions Co. Inc. operates a meat processing plant located at 2230 Wyatts Mill Rd. Jarratt, Virginia, the plant employs 600 production personnel distributed on three shifts. The facility uses Anhydrous Ammonia (NH3) in the refrigeration system as a heat transfer media. Most of the facility is cooled to 35 to 40 degrees in order to preserve the meat products and food items. The ammonia refrigeration system is computer controlled and the facility is manned 24 hours a day 7 days a week. The materials used in the covered process are of the highest standards available to the industry and the Boar's Head Management and Engineering team maintains that the contractors used to install or maintain the refrigeration system meet the highest qualifications dictated by the P.S.M. standard. The facility has ammonia detectors located in the refrigeration equipment rooms as well as the main production areas. The facility is operated under the P.S.M. standard and complies with all O.SH.A. and federal as well as state and local codes and ordinances. PROCESS TECHINICAL DESCRIPTION: The refrigeration system operates as a two-stage ammonia recirculation system @ 4:1recirculation rate. Defrost is achieved by utilizing hot gas taken directly from the compressor discharge header. In the compressor room there are a total of (7) seven Frick screw compressors: (2) (#1&2) RWB-40, (1) one (#3) RWB-54, (1) one (#4) RWBII-134, (2) (#5&6) RWBII-177 and one (#7) RWBII-222. Under normal operation conditions (1) one (#1) RWB-40 operates as a booster compressor and maintains a -22 (2psig) in the (#1) 42"x12' vertical recirculator. This accumulator is dedicated to the -20F/-10F freezer, the Howe ice makers and the Polar Massager glycol chiller units. The booster's discharge gas flows into the intercooler below the liquid ammonia level where the gas is desuperheated. The (6) six other screw compressors operate as high stage compressors maintaining a +12F (25psig) temperature in both the (#2) 42"x12' recirculator and the (#3) 60"x11' recirculator as well as the (#4) 42"x11' recirculator. These three vessels are dedicated to the cooler and production area loads throughout the plant. The (#2) compressor and the (#4) compressor are cross connected to the freezer suction and are able to swing to either duty as required. The high stage compressors discharge gas into the refrigerant discharge piping header through which it enters the (1) Frick AFC-350, (1) Imeco XLPH-365, (1) Evapco PMCA-585 and two (2) Imeco XLP-XL-710 evaporative condensers. In the condensers the ammonia gas is cooled and condensed into a liquid state (95F) and flows into the 60"x 18' horizontal high pressure receiver located under the condensers. The liquid leaves the receiver to feed the (4) four recirculators and the intercooler as well as cooling for the seven Frick compressors. Throught the ammonia refrigeration system and the related piping there are 33,000 pounds of anhydrous ammonia. CONTINGENCY PLAN: If an associate or supervisor/manager identifies an emergency situation they must contact the nearest supervisor or manager of the area. He/she will investigate the problem and decide if the Emergency Response Plan needs to be activated. The supervisor/manager will then notify the guardhouse of the situation and give the pre-determined codes. Depending on the severity of the situation the guard on duty will notify the plant manager and he will at this time decide what type of evacuation should take place (total or partial). When the complexity so indicates he will notify the Boar's Head HAZMAT team and begin the emergency response system. (SEE THE ATTACHED INTEGRATED CONTINGENCY PLAN "THE ONE PLAN" FOR DETAILS) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WORST CASE AND ALTERNATIVE RELEAS E SCENARIOS: #1. Worst case scenario, leak at the high pressure receiver due to mechanical damage of the piping during the ammonia unloading process. This particular scenario was selected because this operation involves the connecting and disconnecting of hoses to the vessel, we feel that there is an element of mistakes because of the human factor involved in this procedure, the high pressure receiver will only hold 9000 pounds of ammonia , we allowed an additional 1000 pounds for the connected piping and hoses. RESULTS OF CONSEQUENCE ANALYSIS (derived from RMP*Comp Ver. 1.04) Chemical: Ammonia (anhydrous) CAS#: 7664-41-7 Category:Toxic Gas Scenario: Worst case liguefied under pressure Quantity released: 10,000 pounds Release duration: 10 minutes Release rate: 1000 pounds per minute Mitigation measures: None Topography: Rural surroundings (terrain generally flat and unobstructed) Toxic endpoint: 0.14 mg/l; basis ERPG-2 Estimated distance to toxic endpoint: 1.8 miles (2.9 kilometers) - ---ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT THIS SCENARIO----- Wind speed: 1.5 meters/second (3.4 miles per hour) Stability class: F Air temperature: 77 degrees F (25 degrees C) #2. Alternative release scenario, rupture disc / relief valve failure or leak at one of the low temperature recirculator vessels due to corrosion of the vessel or piping or overpressurization condition. We selected this scenario for the alternative scenario because the vessels used are the next largest concentration of ammonia in the facility, we feel that if there were a release at one of these vessels, although limited it could have a offsite impact. RESULTS OF CONSEQUENCE ANALYSIS (derived from RMP* Comp ver. 1.04) Chemical: Ammonia (anhydrous) CAS#: 7664-41-7 Category: Toxic gas Scenario: Alternative Release duration: 30 minutes Storage perameters: Hole or puncture area: 1.05 square inches Tank pressure: 30 psi Tank temperature: 12 degrees F (-11.1 degrees C) Release rate: 15.0 pounds per minute Mitigation mesures: Released in a n enclosed space, in direct contact with outside air Topography: Rural surroundings (terrain generally flat and unobstructed) Toxic endpoint: 0.14 mg/l; basis: ERPG-2 Estimated distance to toxic endpoint: 0.1 miles (0.2 kilometers) ----ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT THIS SCENARIO---- Wind speed: 3 meters per second (6.7 miles per hour) Stability class: D Air temperature: 77 degrees F (25 degrees C) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THERE HAVE BEEN NO ACCIDENTS OR RELEASES IN THE AMMONIA REFRIGERATION SYSTEM IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Boar's Head maintains that we will utilize the best standards available to the ammonia refrigeration industry, we are members of the IIAR and stay up to date on the latest technology that is used in our process. (see attached ammonia refrigeration g uidlines for details) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Boar's Head management team recognizes that safety and safety training are paramount to a environment of productivity and well being of the associates in our facility as well as the surrounding community, we have on staff a full time safety coordinator and health care assistants on all production shifts, we routinely train all of the associates on process safety as well as lockout tagout, hazcom and food safety. The refrigeration system is adding ammonia detectors in all production areas to enhance the safety of the system, as upgrades become available Boar's Head will purchase new equipment and software for the ammonia refrigeration system. The Boar's Head management team at the Jarratt Va. facility will continue to improve the safety and reliability of the ammonia refrigeration system through maintaining the equipment in the best manner available to our industry and continous monitoring of the PSM system. The training that we use for the refrigeration operators/mechanics is comprised of hands on, books and computer assisted testing. We not only train the operators/ mechanics on the refrigeration system but also use electrical and mechanical skills training as well. |