The fault evaluation method effectively improves the safe operation of the device

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Petrochemical plants generally feature flammability and explosiveness, toxicity and harmfulness, complex process flows, a high degree of automation, and significant operational risks. In particular, safety and stability in operation remain eternal concerns for such plants. With the development of major petrochemical companies around the world and in China, these companies have gradually established their own rigorous safety management systems, such as HSE management systems, safety management procedures, and safety training programs. This article utilizes these systems, along with the characteristics of the facility where the author works, to develop a \"fault evaluation method\" that helps to enhance the safety of the facility. The Jiangsu Jintong alkylbenzene plant is a petrochemical facility that converts straight-chain alkanes into olefins through dehydration, and then carries out an alkylation reaction with benzene in the presence of hydrogen fluoride to produce alkylbenzene; it was put into operation in 2003. One-third of the operators before commissioning came from similar facilities, while the other two-thirds were trained after being recruited and qualified to take up their posts. During the commissioning and operation of the facility, management personnel identified a series of typical issues related to safety management. 1 Emphasis is placed on the principle of \"not letting go of any major accident\" without investigation, but little attention is given to summarizing experiences and providing training for common faults. During the training provided to employees on how to handle accidents involving relevant equipment, it was found that for similar types of equipment, only the records of reported accidents are available for reference, while there is no information available regarding common faults. In safety management, there is a common tendency to focus on accident plans and the principle of \"not letting go\" after major accidents, as this is necessary and mandated by safety regulations; yet, the principle of \"not letting go\" in the case of ordinary equipment failures is often ignored, because many people believe that such failures do not affect safety and therefore do not warrant excessive concern. In fact, out of 200 common faults, there is one potential accident scenario, and out of 100 such potential accident scenarios, only one actual accident occurs. This shows that proper analysis and education regarding common faults are the foundation for preventing accidents. 2. The skill levels of the operators vary, and their methods of operation are not consistent. Since the workshop operators have only received four months of intensive training, the new employees lack practical experience in operating the equipment; as a result, they tend to act on assumptions or follow rules mechanically, and they become panicked and at a loss when faced with problems. On the other hand, some experienced operators tend to apply the operational experience from similar devices mechanically, ignoring the new features of this particular device. At the same time, since this device incorporates many new technologies, specific optimization procedures have not yet been determined prior to testing, and after testing, it is not possible to provide unified training due to the shift system followed by the operators. 3. Due to the shift system, operators on different shifts often have no way of gaining a detailed understanding of the faults that occur on another shift, which hinders the principle of \"not letting any fault go unaddressed\" and also impedes the rapid improvement of employees’ skills. In order to train a highly skilled operation team as quickly as possible, to disseminate optimized operational practices among all operators, and to enhance employees’ ability to handle faults, the workshop’s technical staff creatively developed a \"operation and fault review\" method that effectively solved the aforementioned problems. “The specific procedure for the “Operation and Fault Review” method is as follows: Whenever any fault occurs during operation, a new unit operation is carried out, or new insights regarding operations and control methods arise, the relevant operators must fill out the “Equipment Operation and Fault Review Form” within three days of such incidents occurring. This review is mainly divided into \"Fault symptoms and causes,\" \"Steps taken at the time,\" and \"Insights and lessons learned,\" providing a comprehensive record of the entire process including the occurrence of the fault, its causes, the actions taken to address it, and the resulting conclusions. When a fault or operational issue occurs, the operator on duty analyzes the situation, fills out the \"Operation and Fault Review Form\", enters the details on the first page of the \"Fault Review Bonus Table\", and submits it to the plant technician for review. As the actual handling process may be forgotten over time, it is required that the form be completed within three days of the fault occurring. Upon receiving the fault review form, the technician or supervisor should complete its review within three days and file it in the operation room folder. The operator should sign to confirm after reading the instructions. For typical failures, the \"Operation and Fault Review Form (Technician)\” should be rewritten. 1. Scope of filling in: 1.1 The process of handling sudden shutdowns of the equipment must be recorded accurately, along with any insights gained from the handling or operations carried out (such as power fluctuations, shutdowns of P-501 and K-301, issues related to N2 and instrument air, etc.). 1.2 For the first-time implementation of a certain plan or unit operation, even if there is a plan available, any new phenomena or insights that arise during actual operation should be recorded accurately, so as to serve as a reference for future reference and learning. 1.3 For routine tasks for which formal operation instructions already exist, if any abnormalities are observed during execution, or if new insights are gained or better methods of operation are found, these should be recorded promptly and accurately. 1.4 For those unit operations for which neither operation instructions nor any records written by others are available, it is possible to fill in the information using the standard format of operation instructions, along with notes on experiences gained or precautions to take during execution. 2. Filling process: After a fault occurs or after gaining experience from an operation, fill out the fault evaluation form following team discussions. Record it on the \"Fault Evaluation Bonus Table\" on the first page, then hand it over to the relevant technician or supervisor. Once the technician has completed his evaluation, the form should be returned and placed in the folder. The staff members involved should read it and sign it. At the end of the month, the supervisor collects the forms, assigns scores, and sends them back to the operation room for further learning. The score sheets are used by evaluators to determine bonuses. All of these tasks must be completed within three days; delays result in a lower grade. These tasks need to be finished within three days of receiving the evaluation form. An evaluation is conducted once a year, and those who do not sign will have a penalty of 10 yuan per incident