Surface Safety Systems as a Part of a Petroleum Industry - Research Paper Example

Contents Contents Introduction Safety Systems 2 Function of Safety Systems 3 Safety Device Symbols (API, 2000) 5 Levels of Protection 6 Primary Protection 8 Secondary Protection 9 Safety Analysis 9 Outcome of Safety Analysis 11 Types of Support Systems 12 SAFE Chart 14 Safety Devices 15 Pressure Safety Devices 16 Flow Safety Devices 17 Level Safety Devices 17 Temperature Safety Devices 18 Works Cited 20 Instructor Name Course Date Surface Safety Systems Introduction API14c is one among the standards that is used in the production of oil and gas. Surface safety systems are used during the production phase and this requires unique operations. This report deals with the recommendations and practice for analysis, design, installation and testing of basic surface safety systems.(API, 2000). These systems are mainly used for offshore production of oil and gas. These safety systems are intended to provide a platform that is safe by all means. The petroleum industry makes use of these documents that enable them to easily achieve the implementation and maintenance of the surface safety system. Since the process in the petroleum industry involves various tasks, the need for safety systems becomes all the more important. Hence a proper practice is required to provide the basic safety systems. Offshore production is a herculean task and the components used in this process must be guaranteed as safe. This is done to make sure that the offshore production is carried on without any problems. This report aims at providing various methods that determines the safety requirements that are essential to protect the offshore production components. These process components must be protected in order to form a complete system. The safety system is developed individually for each component and this ensures that each and every component in the production environment is safe. Once the modules are developed for all the components of the system, they are integrated to form a complete safety system. This system contains modules that operate on individual components in a hassle free manner. (Wallace, 1995).The development of safety system does not end with the process of creating components. Instead the process consists of creating documents, verification of components and maintenance of the developed modules. To accomplish this task, a similar method is executed in all the offshore production platforms. A sample system is defined to test the proposed system. This ensures that the developed system is free from errors. This paper concentrates on developing a recommendation that provides a safe environment in the offshore production. The paper provides guidelines as to how a safety system must be developed, tested, analyzed and maintained. Safety Systems Safety systems are used in most of the industries to ensure that the developed systems and products are in a safe environment. (Lyons, 2005).These safety systems are often developed by a third party vendor who prepares and implements it in the industries. This does not yield intended results for all the organizations since the methods, modules and components used in the production differs from one company to another. The operation of these systems also differs based on the standards of the system. The standard API14C concentrates mainly on the offshore production systems and there are separate systems for each and every type of industrial requirements. There are several types of safety systems and the usage depends on the type of industry and the standard depends on the type of system. The safety system is not a standalone system. Instead it is a combination of various ancillary systems that operate on a particular platform. These ancillary systems are developed for each part of the production process and they are integrated to form a complete safety system. The safety systems require testing since the data may be different in each of the ancillary systems. The testing modules are developed as a part of the safety system and this ensures that every module operates efficiently. Function of Safety Systems A production platform safety system is used to protect the people involved in the production process. It also protects the environment and proposes mechanism to monitor the threats involved in the production process. These safety systems identify the threats that may occur at any level of production process.(Wells, 2004). Safety systems analyze the various modules and monitor each and every action of the production process. The undesirable events that occur in the system are identified and corresponding measures are taken to nullify them to enable in the further steps of the production process. The protection measures are defined according to the needs and requirements of the system. This step is carried out to make sure that the safety system is developed according to the needs of the production process. The various tasks of a safety system includes protection against threats implementing predefined measures manage threats create, define protective objectives and measures These tasks are carried out to prevent future threats. A safety system is not only used to protect the system from threats, but it must be efficient enough to prevent the occurrence of the same threats in the future. The safety systems are built with time tested and proven mechanisms that provide overall protection of the production process. Refinement and error rectification is done in almost all the stages of the development of safety systems. The system analysis and protection modules are combined to form a complete safety analysis tool for the offshore production platforms. The safety systems are used not only to protect from threats, but to act in an undesirable situation. An undesirable situation may occur due to adverse manipulation or working in the system. These situations may pose threat to the safety of the system. These situations may even arise in the processed components due to the input, output modifications. Since any system may experience a worst case condition depending on the input and output, counteractive measures are taken to suppress any malfunctions. These abnormal conditions are detected using the sensors and they protect the entire system by shutting down the component that is detected with threat. Since the components are integrated, the threat that affects a component may spread across the other components leading to overall system failure. Hence the system is incorporated with various modules that could detect threats and protect the system. Safety systems are developed with various components and each of these components are created with the standard variables and symbols that represent the operations. The variables and codes are selected based on the standard and the codes are unique for each standard. The safety systems must use these codes that are approved and allotted for systems that are used in offshore production process. The safety systems are prepared with built-in converters that ease the process of metric conversions during the operations. Functions of safety system depend on the type of system and the industry for which it is developed. Safety Device Symbols (API, 2000) Safety device symbols implemented in this system are listed in the table and it gives an outlook about how these symbols are represented in the system. It shows the symbols operate on a single held device and combination devices. The sensing devices help in detecting threats and other external components. The release valves and vents help in the release of gases and hydrocarbons that are emitted from the structure safety valve. (API, 2000). Levels of Protection Once the functions of the safety system are defined, the next step is to compile the protection levels of the system. The levels of protection are developed based on the system and its process.(Stewart & Arnold, 1989). Once a threat is detected, the system decides about the level of protection. The type of threat is also important since depending on this only the system decides which level of protection can be implemented. It is carried out on both the primary and secondary levels of the system. To be precise, the entire system is divided into parts – primary and secondary; the primary parts of the system occupy the center stage whereas the secondary parts of the system are considered to be the subsidiary operating parts. Once the threat is detected, the system has a self evaluation module that analyzes the threat and offers protection based on its severity. The system offers two levels of protection to protect the system from these threats. They are primary and secondary levels of protection. (Chillingar et al,1999). These levels do not depend on each other instead they make use of independent control procedures that operate on different parts of the system. These levels are created with functionally independent, stand-alone components which initiate the protection program to protect the system from threats. The protection systems are designed to be different, since failure of one component may lead to another. The primary level of protection is considered to be the highest order of protection available in the system. The secondary level of protection is said to be the nest higher order of protection system. The protection components contain discharge points in the system based on which the level of protection is established. If the protection components are combined to form a single system, even the strongest threat is not permitted to enter the system. Logical integration of these components plays the major role. Even if a single module does not get integrated properly with the system, it may affect the entire system even for a single threat bringing down the whole system along with it. Hence the safety devices must be integrated in a proper manner in order to have a complete protection for the system. The protection module of the safety system is developed with a built-in documenting procedure that documents the information about each and every threat that enters the system. This enables the system to analyze the documents and provide protection based on the threat’s features and severity. The basic symbols used in the protection components are PSH – Pressure Safety High PSL – Pressure Safety Low PSV- Pressure Safety Valve High Pressure Sensor Low Pressure Sensor Vent Overpressure is a state in which the pressure entering the process components of the system is considerably more than the normal pressure level. The pressure levels of the system are predefined and assigned to every individual component. These pressure levels vary according to the type of components and its operations. (BSI, 2003).Based on the levels of operation, the incoming pressure is exerted and the component operates in an independent way. Primary Protection Primary protection is established when the pressure component detects the over pressure and the Pressure Safety High sensor shuts the inflow of the system. The inflow of the system is turned off there by bringing the entire operation of the system to a halt. The fuel source of the system is also shut off so that the system does not perform any operation. The vent system is thoroughly examined for supply of air and atmospheric components are protected with the help of these vent systems. The important operation of the primary protection system is to protect all components of the system and it accomplishes this task by shutting off the major components that initiate the various parallel operations of the safety system. Since the major operating modules are turned off, the chance of the system getting affected is considerably less. Once these components are protected, it becomes easy for the system to concentrate on the other parts that render the basic operations of system. Secondary Protection When a component is detected of having overpressure, a secondary protection is provided using the pressure safety valve. In this case, the secondary protection for the components is provided with the help of the second vent. This second vent is a part of the main structure system and it is similar to the primary protection system. The primary vent and secondary vent are almost similar and it contains a gauge hatch which includes a pressure safety valve. Every time the system detects an overpressure, the vent is opened and Pressure Safety Low sensor shuts off the system. If the system is not shut off during an overpressure, it will create rupture in the system. This in turn leads to leakage in the hydrocarbons stored in the safety structure. The primary and secondary levels of protection modules offer greater protection to the entire system. The flow of procedures and components are predefined and this eases the process of protecting the system. Safety Analysis Safety analysis is one the important tasks in developing a structure safety system. This is done to analyze the safety of components that are installed in the system. These components are analyzed irrespective of their operation and position in the safety structure system. (Flin, 1998).The process of safety analysis is performed in almost all the components. The basic process components are inlet, outlet piping and control devices. Once the process components are devised, the analysis is carried out. This safety analysis points out the undesirable events that could happen fitfully. These events are not required for the structure safety systems and they may create problems in the future. The undesirable events may be a failure of equipment, process failures and upsets or any other form of unexpected accidents. The safety analysis module identifies these events and protects the system from such occurrences. This is accomplished by continuous monitoring using surveillance modules and equipments. They can easily find out the flaws in the system and intimate the respective modules regarding the failures in the system. These modules are capable enough to identify abnormal conditions that occur during the process development and implementation. Once this system intimates the defects to the concerned modules, automatic invocation of protection mechanism is initiated. These automatic controls minimize the risk of system getting affected and prevent the re-occurrence of such failures and events. Safety analysis is performed at regular intervals to avoid problems and to protect the system from system crashes and unexpected process failures. If safety analysis module is executed once, the data pertaining to the analysis and corresponding module is stored in the safety analysis table. This table gives a complete outlook about the event that failed and it also suggests the ways in which these events are prone to occur again. Another advantage is that, it provides a logical perception of developing the system in a safe manner. The type of system analysis procedure is selected based on the type of component. Safety analysis can be initiated for process components, check points and safety devices. Depending on the component, the apt analysis method is implemented and information is stored in the safety analysis table. When considering a process component, failure or an undesirable event might be equipment mismatch, process failure or other unexpected events. (Dea, 2000). Safety analysis for safety devices exhibits a completely different initiation procedure. The safety devices are intended to serve the purpose of protecting the system with the help of pre programmed operations. These devices operate based on the other components since all the components are integrated. This integration paves the way for easy processing of the overall safety system. The devices operate in a predefined manner and they are analyzed for failures and defects. Safety device are more prone to attacks and threats from external forces and it can lead to various failures in the entire system. To avoid this, a safety analysis is conducted on the safety devices that are a part of this structure safety system. Once the faults are recognized, the system finds out the reason for such failure. Then the corresponding module is intimated to process the request. The main aim of conducting safety analysis is to find out the problems and rectify them in order to protect the system. Outcome of Safety Analysis Safety analysis is one of the most important parts of any structure safety system. This ensures that a system is free from problems and offers a higher level of protection. The outcome of the safety analysis is safety analysis table and safety chart. They provide complete information about the parts and processes on which an analysis was conducted. This is done to ensure that the details regarding each analysis are stored for future reference. Safety analysis is a tedious process since it involves various steps. A detailed flow of the analysis process is described and the operating modules and variables are defined. Safety analysis table exhibits the safety devices needed for analysis. The next step is the preparation of check list which specifies the individual components that needs to be analyzed. Check list has additional conditions specifying the details of components that must be eliminated from the system once the process starts. The differences among the process components are also defined well in advance so that the analysis procedure can be developed based on the characteristics of the components. (Breivik, 1999).Once the safe chart is prepared, the components that need to be analyzed are integrated to form a single unit. The components are then listed and the devices required for these components are included in check list. Then the functions of these devices and components are entered in the chart. The next step is to show the devices that need to be reinstalled and the devices that have to be removed from the system. The analysis is then carried out through the sensors and other monitoring devices. The result of safety analysis reveals the events that were processed with problems. It finds out the unexpected and undesirable events that could occur in the safety system. This enables in developing an efficient system devoid of problems. Types of Support Systems Support systems are used to perform custom specified operations. They perform safety functions that are customized according to specific organizational needs. These common functions are developed to suit the needs of structure safety systems. The various types of support systems include emergency support systems, decision support systems and information systems. (Hallden, 1980).These systems provide complete support to the operating procedures of the system in which they are implemented. Since offshore production platforms and systems that operate on them require systems to support their operations, at least one among these support systems must be implemented. Basic surface safety systems require continuous monitoring and support systems that help them during tough situations. When considering this problem, an emergency support system becomes mandatory for offshore production platforms. They provide certain methods that can handle any type of situation. Emergency support systems contain various sub components that detects fire and gas, sumps and containment machines. It includes ventilation and valve verification systems. This enhances the functionalities of emergency support system and makes the process of risk handling easier. They also provide primary level protection to the safety system. The main task of this system is to shut-in the necessary functions at the time of release. When hydrocarbons are released, there are chances of other processes getting affected. Emergency support systems ensure that these consequences are minimized and the system can operate without any further problems. (Wallace, 1995). There are various other support systems like pneumatic supply systems, systems to check for oil leaks, systems that enhance safety and systems that discharge gas. Among all these systems, pneumatic support system controls all the other systems there by initiating them to perform their intended tasks. This also ensures that the systems proceed with their tasks in a controlled manner. The conditions on which they operate are also decided by the pneumatic system. This system is also known as pneumatic fusible element systems. (API, 2000).It is widely used for detecting fires using the pneumatic fusible elements. These elements detect the fire and intimate the situation to the main system. It has the capacity to interact with other modules of the system and provides signal to the main module to shut down the activities once fire is detected. All the systems are shut down except the one that controls fire. Though the system has various parts, fusible elements are one of the important parts. They are made of a special metal with a very high heat susceptible temperature. Another system which needs a mention is electrical fire detection systems.(API, 2000). Fire detection systems are one of the widely used systems in the production platform. These systems detect fire in any of the forms like smoke, flame or thermal fumes. The main purpose of these devices is to caution the system about the problem. This is accomplished by using alarms that activate other components and performs shut-in and shut down actions whenever necessary. It has an additional module which activates systems that suppresses fire during emergency. The procedures and operations of all these systems are the same and they are: Installation Operation Maintenance Any safety system must concentrate on certain issues like providing proper ventilation, implementing additional safety valves and maintaining a regular monitoring module. (API, 2000).   SAFE Chart Safety Analysis Function Evaluation chart is used to exhibit the process components and safety device’s status after an analysis. It is one among the two forms of documenting the results from safety analysis. Information about the devices and components used in the system are clearly documented and listed in the chart. This chart shows the relation between all these components and devices. Even the shutdown devices are given due importance and included in the chart along with emergency support systems. The functionalities of these components and modules are also listed with the corresponding devices. This makes the process of analysis an easy task. Another advantage of this chart is that it lists the reasons for not providing the unwanted devices. The reasons include other details using which the SAFE chart can be referred for further operations. The chart matrix indicates the function of devices and it enables the operator to check the information with regard to the item number. The item number is a unique number which is used to list the devices and components in the SAFE chart. Apart from providing a chart, it gives a check list that shows the initial design and developmental procedures in a structural format. The installation verification is also included in the check list. The components, devices and other parts are listed under separate headings like Device Identification Number which shows the unique number of each device. Another important heading is Function Performed - which lists the various functions performed by the devices as well as the entire system. The SAFE chart generally has connection to the safety analysis table and safety analysis diagram. The serial number establishes the connection between these charts and diagrams. This chart integrates the devices and components and equipments that protect themselves and the main system. This is done to make sure that the structure safety system is a wholesome product. Chart matrix is the important component of the SAFE chart. Safety Devices Safety devices form the major part of a structure safety system. These devices formulate the working of the system by interacting with the processes and components related with the safety device. Safety devices are of many types and they are classified based on the type of operation they perform and the type of component and module in which they are used. They are Pressure Safety Devices Flow Safety Devices. Level Safety devices Vacuum Safety Devices Temperature Devices (API, 2000). These devices form the integral part of any safety system since the entire working of the system depends on these devices. Each of these classifications contains many devices which operate according to the requirements specified in the system. Pressure Safety Devices These devices work on the pressure control part of a safety system. The purpose of these devices is to act according to the level of pressure. Since oil wells are prone to heavy pressure, it is necessary for a safety system to include these devices in order to avoid any serious problems. These devices rely on sensors and operate with the help of primary and secondary sensors of the safety system. There are three types of pressure devices namely, Pressure Safety High (PSH), Pressure Safety Low (PSL) and Pressure Safety Valve (PSV). (API, 2000).The main operation of PSH sensor is to shut-in whenever a high pressure exerted in the system. If the system detects any abnormal increase in the pressure, it must shut-in the corresponding devices to enable the system to work sustainable pressure conditions. Since this activates the other components, it must be installed on the flow line from which the pressure flows to the major devices. This device is used only in case of increase in pressure that occurs in the well. PSL sensor is placed in the flow segment of the component and it is shut in if the pressure becomes low. In this situation it alerts the components that currently work on the system. PSV is almost similar to PSH and PSL and it is also known as release valve since based on PSV only the flow of pressure is decided. If PSV is closed, the flow of pressure is temporarily stopped. It is released only when a process instructs it to do so. It is not mandatory for every system to have a safety valve. If the pressure of the system is more than the shut in pressure, then safety valve is not necessary. In all the other situations, the safety systems prefer to have a safety valve. Hence the need for safety valve purely depends on the system’s requirements. Flow Safety Devices A check valve is the only Flow Safety Device which is used in the system’s flow line. It is installed in the final line where the oil is exerted. This is done to avoid the backflow of oil from the main flow line. It is normally installed in the discharge line of gas and oil. The use of FSV purely depends on pressure of the oil and gas. The next type of safety device is the Level Safety Devices. Level Safety Devices Most of the safety devices operate based on the signals received from sensors. There are two types of Level Safety Devices namely, Level Safety High and Level Safety Low. The pressure exerted by the vessel is generally protected from overflow of the oil by shutting off the LSH sensor. (API, 2000).This stops the inflow of oil into the vessel. The process components are designed in such a way that it handles maximum pressure and manages the flow even if the level is more. LSL sensor is shut off when the pressure level is to be protected from the gas. LSL is not required when the level of liquid in the vessel is not stable. In certain systems the liquids that flow from the vessel are drained manually. In this case, the Level devices are not necessary since the vessels are not specifically designed for liquid and gas. As the vessel is common for any type of liquid, Level devices are not required. Temperature Safety Devices These devices are used to control the temperature of oil in the system. It has two sensors, Temperature Safety High and Temperature Safety Low. (Wallace, 1995). TSH is used to shut off when the temperature of the liquid is more. The source is closed after analyzing the temperature. TSL shuts off the flow line when the temperature of the liquid goes below the predefined level. These are the various types of safety devices used in safety systems that are used in offshore production platforms. Conclusion Surface safety systems form the main part of a petroleum industry. The offshore production platforms rely on safety systems since the level of risk and problems are higher in these systems. The various safety practices have been included and their development and implementation methods are listed. Safety systems require proper analysis before implementation process and this helps in better creation of the system. The design and its various requirements are stated and the system is developed with the help of safety devices and components. Safety systems are built with modules and components which are integrated to form a complete unit. These safety systems are developed using safety devices, check points and other components. The safety systems are designed to protect the system and it makes sure that the system is free from problems. A threat may arise in at unexpected time and the system is developed to manage those threats in an effective way. The safety of a system is analyzed and represented using SAFE charts and safety analysis tables. The main aim of these safety systems is to ensure that the operations carried out in a production platform is done according to the development framework. Works Cited Wallace, Ian. Developing safety system. London: Institute of Chemical Engineering, 1995. Print Wells, Geoff. Hazard Identification and risk assessment. London: IChemE publications. 2004. Print Lyons, C. William., Plisga, J. Gary. Standard handbook of petroleum and natural gas engineering. US: Elseiver publications. 2005. Print. Stewartm Maurice. Arnold, Ken. Surface Production Operations: Design of Gas-Handling Systems and ..., Volume 1. US: Elseiver publications. 1989. Print. Chilingar, V. George, et al. Surface operations in petroleum production, Volume 2. US: Elseiver publications. 1999. Print. BSI staff. 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