CHEN 20151

One and a half hours

THE UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER

Safety and Reliability Engineering

[Date of Examination]

[Time of Examination]

Answer TWO of the THREE Questions

Candidates attempting question 1 should attach page 7 of this exam

paper inside their answer book

Candidates attempting question 3 should attach page 9 of this exam

paper inside their answer book

Calculators may be used in accordance with the University regulations.

ALL numerical working must be shown

Tables of mathematical formulae are available and may be used without

restriction.

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SAFETY

Answer TWO Questions

1. Answer ALL parts. [Total 25 marks]

Figure 1. Cross section and Plan view of the oil storage system

A storage system for oil has two tanks. A cross-section and a plan view
are shown at Figure 1. Two years ago the taller tank was drained, the
valve between the tanks was closed, and it was taken out of use.
There is now an urgent need to bring the taller tank back into use, but
an inspection has shown that some welding is required to repair a
crack in the top seam.
a. Given that the oil is primarily a volatile, organic hydrocarbon,
describe the concerns which you would have as site manager in
terms of the mechanisms (e.g. toxicity etc) by which the proposed
operation could harm the people carrying out the work outlined.
[7 Marks]
Question 1 continues on next page

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Question 1 continued…

b. As site manager, you will be on holiday while the work is done.

Write instructions for the site foreman who will oversee the welding.
If you refer to any documents, describe the contents that are
relevant to this work, and who they are given to.
[14 Marks]

c. There is a larger copy of Figure 1 on page 7 (it is labelled as

Figure 3). Remove page 7 from this booklet, and considering the
situation when both tanks are back in use, show on it where there
will be explosive atmospheres and what zone they are. Enclose
page 7 in your answer booklet.
[4 Marks]
End of question 1

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2. Answer ALL parts of this question. [total 25 marks]

The explosive Combination 4 (C-4) manufactured for the United States

Armed Forces consists of several components, 91% RDX (“Research
Department Explosive”), 5.3% dioctyl sebacate (DOS) as the plasticizer
(to increase the plasticity of the explosive), 3.7% of a mineral oil as a
softener.

RDX 1,3,5-Trinitroperhydro-1,3,5-triazine C3H6N3(NO2)3

DOS Dioctyl sebacate (CH2)8(COOC8H17)2
Mineral Oil C15 H32
(a.m.u. N=14, C=12, H=1, O=16)

One of the most important properties of an explosive is that they need

significant energy input before they will detonate, as they need to be
handled and transported without excessive risk. This is why C-4 is very
popular; it is very insensitive to heat, shock, and friction.

a. Carry out an oxygen balance to estimate how ‘good’ an explosive

C-4 is.
[10 Marks]

b. Explain, with the aid of the chemical formulae, what it is about the
compositions of these two solids and a liquid, which makes them a
very powerful explosive?
[5 Marks]

c. If the energy of explosion for C-4 is 62,524 kJ mol−1 and we

assume an explosion efficiency of 10% what is the TNT equivalent
of 100 g of C-4? Based on your answer, is C-4 a more or less
powerful explosive than TNT?
(Energy of Explosion of TNT, ETNT= 4666 kJ kg−1)
[3 Marks]

d. With the aid of diagrams explain the characteristics and differences

of detonations and deflagrations demonstrating why detonations
cause more damage. Outline how and why deflagration can
become detonation in connected vessels.
[7 Marks]
End of question 2

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3. Answer ALL parts of this question. [total 25 marks]

Figure 2. Hydrocracker Separation

A hydrocracker breaks down waxy products using hydrogen in the

presence of a catalyst at high pressure. After hydrocracking, hydrogen
and light gases are separated from the liquid product in two stages –
high and low pressure separators. Figure 2 shows this process. The
HP separator produces gases and liquid products leave at the base.
The control valve is used to reduce the pressure and to ensure that the
gases produced in the HP separator do not pass through the line to the
LP separator. The valve PCV1 keeps the LP separator at 6 bar.g. The
liquid product contains residual waxes.

a. There is a larger copy of Figure 2 on page 9 (it is labelled Figure 4).

Remove page 9 from this booklet. Draw on it the ancillary
equipment, instrumentation, additional valves, and control lines
necessary to control the process. Do not conduct a HAZOP.
• Use the conventional symbols where possible and include a
legend for any other symbols that you use.
• Indicate the signalling method and whether valves fail
open/closed.
• All control valves in the system must be regularly removed for
maintenance (they are all maintained at once). Provide an
isolation system based on valves, indicating the type of valve
used.
Briefly justify your design choices, including the SIL of any safety
instrumented system.
[15 Marks]

b. List, and briefly explain, the other layers of protection that the site
should put in place.
[3 Marks]

c. Suggest two ways of improving the inherent safety of the process.

[3 Marks]

Question 3 continues on next page

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Question 3 continued…

d. Failure of one of the vessels could lead to an explosion known as a

BLEVE. Explain what a BLEVE is and why it is a hazard of this
process.
[4 Marks]
End of question 3

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Registration number ………………………………………………………

All candidates attempting question 1 must hand in this page

Figure 3. Oil storage system with conventional hatching for explosive atmosphere zones

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THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK

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Registration number ………………………………………………………

All candidates attempting question 3 must hand in this page

Figure 4. Hydrocracker Separation

END OF PAPER

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