ExpHAZOP+: Knowledge based expert system to conduct automated HAZOP for Oil & Gas Operation

Shibly Rahaman1, Faisal Khan2, Brian Veitch2, and Paul R. Amyotte3

1Department

of Computer Science, and 2Faculty of Engineering & Applied Science, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. Johns, Newfoundland, Canada A1B 3X5,3Department of Process Engineering and Applied Science, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3J 2X4
Method
Figure1: The architecture of ExpHAZOP+ Graphical User Interface
Graphical editor to draw industrial flow diagram Report generation (Process general specific knowledge)

Introduction
HAZOP (Hazard and Operability Study) is a preliminary and systematic approach for identifying and analyzing the hazards and operational concerns of a system (e.g.,offshore process facilities, chemical process system). Most process facility uses manual HAZOP study for checking their system operability conditions which includes following steps: Selects the study node of the system under studied Identifies each entity Identifies attributes for each entity Investigates deviations from design intent by applying guide words to attributes Investigates, for each deviation, the causes and consequences Documents the results However HAZOP is an essential step in risk assessment, yet manual HAZOP study involves the following limitations: Requirement of large expert team, Time consuming and brain storming works, Repetitious work team Important data lost over a period of time. ExpHAZOP+ is an automated HAZOP analysis tool, aimed to recover the existing limitations of conventional HAZOP analysis.

Case Study
User

Results Comparisons
Table2: Results comparisons between Wang and ExpHAZOP+

Input / Output device

Originally adapted from Lapp and Powers (1977) and subsequently used in Wang (2004). A cooling process to cool the nitric acid. The cooler nitric acid is sent to the reactor to react with Benzene to form nitrobenzene. Equipments used in the cooling process: valves, pump, heat exchanger, temperature sensor, temperature controller, reactor. Case Study Objective: Causes and consequences for MORE TEMPERATURE in the process sytem Results comparisons between ExpHAZOP+ and existing result with.

Approach

Identified basic cause leading to an undesired event as a result of the deviation, MORE TEMPERATURE.

Wang (FTA)

Inference Engine
Method for finding abnormal causes and consequences Method for propagation of deviation

Knowledge Base
Process Specific Knowledge Process General Knowledge

V1 -> HE -> TS Temperature sensor failure Temperature Controller failure Large External Fire ExpHAZOP+ *V1 -> HE -> TS (HAZOP) Temperature sensor failure Temperature Controller failure Reaction temperature increase

GUI: An open interface enabling the user to perform HAZOP analysis. User has the option to perform the analysis using existing equipment database or his own defined equipment. Each equipment is connected to its own database. Knowledge Base : A MS Access data base system, stock up the Figure 2: The architecture of the knowledge base information derived from past HAZOP analysis related Knowledge Base System General Process Specific Process to process operation, process Knowledge knowledge with attributes equipment, operating Equipment Equipment problems, failure mode, Available User Deviations Deviation in Parameters Rule Network for Rule Network for failure frequencies, etc. General causes Specific causes Figure 2 shows the and consequences and consequences Suggested solution for Suggested solution for Knowledge Base system hazard prevention hazard prevention architectures of ExpHAZOP+. INFERENCE ENGINE Acts as an search engine of ExpHAZOP+. Uses fault propagation algorithm to retrieve general and specific causes and consequences from the Knowledge Base system. A deviation propagates from the starting equipment to the ending equipment in the study node specified by the user on the GUI. Figure 3 shows the interconnections between three major components of ExHAZOP+.

Conclusion
The aim of ExpHAZOP+ tool to integrate the expert knowledgebase system with an efficient fault propagation algorithm, which can significantly reduces the expert time and effort, manpower cost, repetitious work, etc. of manual HAZOP study. ExpHAZOP+ tool has the following properties: Allow to draw user defined P&ID diagram. Automatically generate the report for HAZOP analysis. Robust and flexible knowledge base structure. Flexible to use the user own idea. Able to find out the possible causes and consequences for the down stream equipments also.

Figure 4: HAZOP analysis with ExpHAZOP+

Aim
ExpHAZOP+ integrates the following features to overcome the following limitations of manual HAZOP analysis: A Graphical User Interface (GUI) for drawing P&ID diagram of process system. Knowledge base encompasses knowledge for equipments as well as operations. fault propagation method to identify all downstream unit deviations. Inference engine system to find out the causes and consequences for the system under studied Report generation and output analysis store system for the HAZOP analysis

Results and Analysis

Table 1: Result of ExpHAZOP+ analysis for the nitric acid cooling process
ITEM
valve1

References
Lapp, S.A., and Powers, G.J., (1977), Computer aided synthesis of Fault Trees, IEEE Transactions Reliability, R26, 2-12. Wang, Y., (2004), Development of a Computer Aided Fault Tree Synthesis Methodology for quantitative risk Analysis in the chemical process industry, PhD. Thesis, Texas A&M University, USA.

CONNECTING ORIGINAL DEVIATION CAUSES CONSEQUENCES EQUIP DEVIATION

Original deviation of More Temperature from V1 Original deviation of More Temperature from V1 More temperature too hot supply of nitric acid flow rate increases

valve1

More temperature

valve1 stuck

heat exchanger temperature increase

ITEM

CONNECTING ORIGINAL DEVIATION CAUSES CONSEQUENCES EQUIP DEVIATION

Original deviation of More Temperature from V1 Original deviation of More Temperature from V1 Original deviation of More Temperature from V1 Original deviation of More Temperature from V1 More temperature internal fouling occurs Too hot reactor

heat From equipment exchanger V1 Pipe 1

Acknowledgements
The whole work is gratefully acknowledge the Petroleum Research Atlantic Canada (PRAC) for providing necessary financial support to carry out the project successfully.

Methodology of ExpHAZOP+
The object-oriented architecture of ExpHAZOP+ is presented in Figure 1. The expert system consists of a) GUI, b) knowledge-base, c) inference engine.

heat From equipment exchanger V1 Pipe 1

More temperature

large Excess flow from external pump temperature

heat From equipment exchanger V1 Pipe 1

More temperature

external fire

Temperature sensor failure

heat From equipment exchanger V1 Pipe 1

More temperature

valve2 stuck

Temperature control failure