09-4-16 Topic----How to improve the safety of production in coal-to-oil enterprises? (Participation rewards available)

Case 1: On April 10, reporters learned from relevant authorities that a preliminary conclusion has been reached regarding the cause of the fire at the storage tanks at the Yitai coal-to-oil facility. 　　According to the preliminary assessment by relevant experts, the cause of the fire at the Yitai coal-to-oil storage tank was defects in the fire safety design of Tank L; oil spilled from one tank into another entered the air, resulting in an internal explosion that led to oil leakage and subsequently a fire. Preliminary estimates indicate that this fire caused direct economic losses of over 4.5 million yuan. (Zhang Xingsheng) News recap: At around 4:30 on April 8th, fires broke out in oil storage tanks No. 1 and No. 2 at the Yitai Group’s coal indirect liquefaction project site. By around 4:10 p.m., the open flames were completely extinguished; the incident did not result in any injuries or damage to production equipment. Insight: Ensure quality control from the design stage, improve designers’ professional skills and safety awareness, and avoid design flaws. Implement a system for holding those responsible for accidents accountable. This post was last edited by yangruyiyantai on 2009-4-16 12:54.]

Coal-to-oil production is a talent-, technology-, and capital-intensive industry that involves multiple fields such as coal, chemicals, petrochemicals, and oil refining; it features long production processes and complex technologies. The coal-to-oil production process involves high temperatures and pressures, exposure to hydrogen, the presence of solids, and simultaneous flow of gases, liquids, and solids, making it extremely dangerous. There must be no slackness whatsoever in operations or in safety precautions. Companies should provide thorough training to their employees on process and equipment operation. Employees must carry out production in strict accordance with the operating procedures; any violation of these procedures is strictly prohibited. This post was last edited by yangruyiyantai on 2009-4-16 13:13.]

I believe that the safety of coal-to-oil production facilities needs to be considered from two aspects: one related to coal, and the other related to oil. It is necessary to focus on these two aspects, improve them, and strengthen them in order to prevent problems before they occur.

Safety is something that every chemical company must pay attention to and take seriously. For coal-to-oil companies, it is not only important to ensure the safe storage of coal, but the safe storage of oil cannot be overlooked either. Oil is more prone to safety accidents than coal, and this is a significant issue. On a smaller scale, there are many other aspects that deserve attention: when building a coal-to-oil plant, safety of personnel during the construction phase is crucial; during installation and commissioning, the safety of equipment, as well as the safety of personnel and property, is important; and during normal operation, safety regarding various flammable, explosive, high-temperature and high-pressure containers must also be ensured. Let me tell you another example: At a certain chemical plant, diesel leaked next to a turbine compressor and ended up on the compressor itself. Due to the high temperature of the compressor, a fire broke out, and that’s how one turbine was destroyed

The first half of coal-to-oil processing involves fertilizer companies, while the second half typically includes hydrogenation, storage areas, and oil washing (absorption and stabilization) – these are tasks carried out by oil refining companies. It’s difficult to find someone who has a good understanding of both aspects. However, coal-to-oil production itself (synthetic oil) does not involve high temperatures (260 degrees) or high pressures (3.5 MPa); hydrogenation is not even involved.

What was said upstairs is correct. To improve a company’s security, it is necessary to raise employees’ safety awareness, and this needs to be emphasized on a daily basis. Regarding design issues, to be honest, large design institutes shouldn’t make such basic mistakes!

Relevant designers and technical personnel should have a thorough understanding of the materials used in coal chemical industry. Additionally, enhance safety awareness, as after all, safety depends on people. Safety awareness cannot be based on simple preaching or rote instructions; it needs to be promoted through practical examples.

Work safety is of paramount importance as it relates to the safety of employees at work, and it also affects the survival, development, and stability of enterprises. The number of accidents that have occurred in recent years is truly alarming. All these problems have arisen because of major safety hazards in these places. An analysis of the causes of these accidents reveals that they are mainly due to the weak awareness of safety production among some leaders and employees, as well as misunderstandings in their perceptions and thinking; they fail to take safety seriously, which leads to various disasters. It is believed that although most companies do not have particularly serious safety hazards, upon closer examination, there are still many safety issues that require attention. A simple short circuit in a wire or some careless action by an individual can lead to the shutdown of the entire server room, or it may even result in more serious consequences. Therefore, no negligence whatsoever should be allowed when it comes to safe production.

1. In a certain factory, maintenance work was carried out on a reactor without first ensuring that the organic gases inside the reactor had been completely removed, and no instruments were used to verify this; as a result, a fire broke out inside the reactor during the maintenance, with flames erupting. Fortunately, only some hair was burned.
2. A certain factory recently completed maintenance work successfully, with no accidents occurring at all! A little experience for your reference: First of all, one must have a high level of awareness regarding maintenance work – after all, maintenance is also a form of “production”! Secondly, it is about careful organization and rational allocation of personnel, so as to make the best use of them! When making arrangements, it is necessary to clearly explain why each task needs to be carried out How to do it? To what extent? What goals need to be achieved? What are the connections with other aspects? Everyone must be made clear about this, so they know what to expect! Finally, assign dedicated personnel for safety management!

Most chemical accidents are man-made rather than natural disasters! It is urgent to improve the competence and safety awareness of chemical industry workers! Exquisite equipment can be damaged by those who are careless, and rules and regulations can be violated by those who disregard them. Analysis of accidents in the chemical industry over the years shows that more than 70% of such incidents are caused by violations of rules and regulations. In fact, upon a deeper analysis of such violation cases, it becomes clear that the reason why they commit violations is, fundamentally, a lack of understanding or an incomplete understanding. If one truly understands this, then committing violations should be regarded as suicide on the part of those who carry out such violations, and giving orders that lead to violations should be considered murder

To summarize a few points: The human factor 1. Most chemical accidents are not natural disasters but human errors! It is urgent to improve the competence and safety awareness of chemical industry workers! Exquisite equipment can be destroyed by those who are careless, and rules and regulations can be violated by those who disregard them. Analysis of accidents in the chemical industry over the years shows that violations account for over 70%. In fact, upon a deeper analysis of such violation cases, it becomes clear that the reason why they commit violations is, fundamentally, a lack of understanding or an incomplete understanding. If one truly understands this, then committing violations should be regarded as suicide on the part of those who carry out such violations, and giving orders that lead to violations should be considered murder on the part of those who give such orders. Whether they are managers, technical staff, or ordinary employees, everyone must carry out maintenance and operations in accordance with the design intent. Relying on advanced technology, acting on their own based on extensive \"experience\" and a one-sided understanding of regulations, often has a negative impact on a company’s safe production and profitability. 2 Necessary accident emergency plans: Although regulations and operating procedures specify the management principles and daily operation protocols for equipment and installations, people’s understanding and control of such equipment remain limited, and potential hazards persist throughout the production process. To restore normal conditions as quickly as possible or minimize the extent of the out-of-control situation, it is necessary to establish appropriate emergency response plans. The more rational and comprehensive an emergency response plan is, the greater the reduction in losses caused by accidents. Additional note: In Case 3, Matlab and Aspen are used for sensitivity analysis to simulate the process and units, with sensitivity analysis being employed to identify the parameters that have a significant impact on production. Strengthen accident prevention. Physical aspects: 1. Equipment and installations must be intrinsically safe. Generally, during the demonstration and testing phases, sufficient attention is paid to safety performance from technical and managerial perspectives; once they are put into operation, as long as they function properly, no further in-depth examination is usually carried out. However, problems often arise at this point, so technical managers must conduct at least one comprehensive evaluation of the new technologies or equipment that are put into use. At present, due to various factors such as funding and cost-effectiveness, there is a great deal of uncertainty regarding the selection of equipment. Critical devices must ensure safety. Example: Two large enterprises should have their own fire-fighting and explosion-proof teams. This post was last edited by yangruyiyantai on 2009-4-16 at 19:33.]

I believe coal-to-oil production fully embodies the characteristics of chemical manufacturing: high temperature, high pressure, flammability, explosiveness, and continuous operation! Firstly, it is necessary to strengthen safety education in order to improve people’s safety awareness. Unsafe behavior on the part of individuals is the main cause of accidents; therefore, it is essential to provide comprehensive safety training for all employees to enhance their safety awareness. The following steps need to be taken: 1. Focus on safety regulation education and use systems to regulate people. Carry out regular safety education by relying on regulations, systems, operating procedures, and discipline ； Clarify respective responsibilities, inform what is permissible and what is not, and outline how to act in emergency situations, thereby enhancing the ability to respond to unexpected incidents. 2. Focus on education regarding the prevention of violations and the principle of \"no harm to oneself, others, or the environment,\" and use regulations to guide people’s behavior. Prevent accidents caused by improper operation of process equipment; resolutely put an end to any violations, and take decisive actions against major potential accident hazards. 3. Emphasize education on the knowledge and skills required for one’s position, using accident cases as teaching tools. Employees should be familiar with the safety procedures related to their job, as well as the hazards associated with it and how to prevent them. In accordance with the principle of \"not letting go of any incident until its causes are identified and responsibilities determined,\" it is necessary to investigate the reasons behind accidents, clarify responsibilities, and use these cases as examples to educate others. 4. Strengthen dynamic management to standardize people’s safe behaviors. Any accident is a dynamic process, meaning that the conditions of people and objects change over time; it is crucial to carry out dynamic management of people at the work site in order to eliminate unsafe behaviors among individuals at all levels.

Actually, it’s a bit presumptuous of me to try to summarize this issue. Because I don’t yet have any experience in working at coal-to-oil plants. One often fails to understand deeply things that one has not experienced personally. It seems I still need to work hard** ah! This post was last edited by yangruyiyantai on 2009-4-16 23:11]

1. As mentioned on floor 12, safety issues are mostly caused by human factors. The higher the safety awareness among all employees, the better they can identify potential hazards and prevent serious accidents. Now, the principle of four no-harms is advocated: do not harm oneself, do not harm others, do not allow oneself to be harmed by others, and do not cause harm to others. These days, whenever a situation arises, ordinary employees usually report it to their superiors, because everyone knows that even the company’s executives cannot take on the responsibility for safety. To raise safety awareness, it is first necessary to ensure that everyone masters the relevant knowledge through examinations, and more fun-based activities such as knowledge contests should be organized. 2. Some potential hazards are well known, but in the event of danger, one is unable to save oneself or others. Such things are a common cause of further deterioration in the outcome of an accident. It is essential to improve safety skills through drills, striving to prevent any deaths in the event of an accident. 3. Whether it is coal chemical industry or petrochemical industry, in my opinion, we should refer more to Sinopec’s management model at present. In the chemical industry, once you understand one thing, you can understand many others; the various unit operations are largely similar to each other. It’s better to adopt advanced management models and then develop a management style that suits one’s own needs best. 4. At the source level, ensuring high quality in equipment procurement and minimizing potential problems arising from construction by following standards strictly during both construction and inspection processes, and avoiding the formality of putting progress above everything else, can also help prevent accidents to a certain extent. 5. Strictly follow the operation instructions; it is better to take extra time rather than opt for dangerous shortcuts. Standardized production cannot be skipped in any step; that would be ideal. 6. I personally believe that creating a good internal corporate atmosphere is also very important. Provide positive encouragement to employees, improve their benefits, and show genuine concern for those working at the grassroots level. Leaders should not make decisions based on impulse; a strong sense of cohesion within a company can help ensure that all aspects of work, including safety measures, are carried out more effectively. The above are merely my personal opinions, which are limited in nature, and they are offered for your criticism and feedback.

What was the cause of the accident? There are regulations for design, but they were not followed. There are regulations regarding procurement and installation, but they were not followed. There are regulations for the operations, but they were not followed. Lack of a strong sense of responsibility. Newcomer, not familiar with the rules. These are all “old clichés”. I think there is another reason: those who are aware of the regulations may not understand why they were established, that is, they do not grasp the principle behind them. Therefore, the regulations cannot be consciously applied and implemented, as people do not check them in their busy schedules. This is a “minor error”. As mentioned earlier, the cause of the fire in the Itai coal-to-oil storage tanks was defects in the fire safety design of those tanks; oil spilled from one tank into another entered the air, leading to an internal explosion that resulted in oil leakage and subsequently a fire. I guess it’s someone who works in safety design – they forgot, don’t understand it, and haven’t checked the regulations. The same goes for those who conduct verification and review – they just sign without looking. Accidents just go smoothly, overcoming all obstacles along the way. Success is just one step away; I sigh for Yitai, advising you not to lose heart – let’s keep moving forward! This post was last edited by Liang Hua on 2009-4-17 09:50]