Introduction
A Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA) study was conducted as per OISD-244 for the High Tension (HT) Line passing through HPCL’s Vashi Black Oil Terminal. The study aimed to evaluate potential hazards, assess risks, and implement safety measures to ensure compliance with industry standards.
M/s Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited has a Bulk Marketing cum Tap off point Oil at Vashi POL Terminal, Maharashtra. The total plot Area covered by the terminal is about 24.5 Acres. The Black Oil Terminal is adjacent to the existing terminal and handles LDO and FO products.
The Terminal is approximately 18 km from the Mumbai Refinery. The Terminal is situated in the MIDC area of Navi Mumbai. At the terminal, the Operating process is receipt of LDO and FO, their Storage in respective storage Tanks & dispatching to market through Distributors. The products are distributed to the Market through Tank Trucks.
The main objective of this study is to evaluate the potential risk levels for personnel due to accidental release of hazardous materials from loss of containment scenarios from the facilities and to demonstrate that individual risks are within the broadly acceptable regions.
Objectives of QRA
The Objectives of QRA are as follows
- Hazard and LOC Identification – Identification of Hazards and Major Loss of Containment (LOC) events
- Physical Effects Calculation – Calculation of physical effects of failure case scenarios which include Estimation of Jet Fire, Pool Fire heat radiation distances, Flammable gas dispersion distances, and overpressure explosion distances
- Failure Frequency Evaluation – Analyze historical data and industry standards to determine the likelihood of different failure scenarios occurring.
- Societal Risk and PLOL Estimation – Societal risk quantification and Potential Loss of Life estimation
- ALARP Risk Assessment – Perform a risk assessment to confirm that risk can be reduced consistent with the ALARP principle according to the UK HSE risk acceptance criteria
- Risk Reduction Measures – Recommend risk-reducing measures to ensure all risks are in ALARP or Acceptable Region.
The following facilities are covered under the QRA study for this Project.
- Pumping, Storing, and Unloading & Loading of F O.
- Pumping, Storin,g, and Unloading & Loading of LDO.
The assessment will be based on the hazards that may occur during the project’s operations, according to the information available. The scope of work is limited to different components associated with the proposed Facility only. Any other Facilities that are not part of the proposed Complex operations are not included in this study.
The Final Outcomes of the QRA Study are as follows
- Location-Specific Individual Risk
- Individual risk at different locations around a particular plant varies. Among the Risk ranking locations considered all risk ranking points lie in the ACCEPTABLE Region.
- Individual Risk for People
- Individual Risk (IR) gives a measure of the risk that will apply to each location (in this case, each area, generally), independent of the population.
- Individual Risk for people at HPCL Black Oil Terminal – Vashi is coming under the ACCEPTABLE region.
- Societal Risk
- The correlation between frequency and the number of people experiencing a specific level of harm in a given population as a result of the realization of a specific danger is provided by societal risk. The study’s findings lead to the conclusion that the societal risk for the study’s entire population, on the whole, is in the ACCEPTABLE range.
Recommendations for QRA Study
- Based on the observations and conclusions following are the recommendations of this QRA study
- Ensure vehicles entering near the Facilities are fitted with spark arrestors, as a mandatory item
- Ensure personnel entering the Facility should not be allowed to carry any ignition sources like Mobile phones, lighters, etc.
- Firefighting equipment and systems should be maintained as per OISD 117.
- Work Permit” procedures to be followed by maintenance Personnel for protection of property from damage and fire etc.
- All Visitors before entering the facility should be briefed on Safety. All employees should be provided refresher courses to ensure the implementation of required action during emergencies.
- Operation checklist in Native language and English to be provided near Operation area.
- Pipeline corridors and unloading area shall be protected with adequate crash barrier to prevent any Accidental impacts / Vehicle movement.
- Human activity in the Loading/unloading area should be maintained minimum.
- Ensure the maintenance of the pump is carried out in conformance with OISD‐STD‐119.
- Ensure adequate grounding and earthing arrangements are implemented in the loading area to avoid the generation of static charge.
- Make Sure that the practice of a ‘Calibration plan’ for Meters and Gauges is implemented to ensure the effective functioning of the System
- Ensure Lockout and tag-out (LOTO) procedure is being followed in the operation of tank drain, dyke drain, and other critical valves with supervisory control and mechanical locking option.
- Ensure regular inspection of earthing arrangements and lightning arrestors
Conclusion
The QRA study provided critical insights into the risks associated with the HT line at Vashi Black Oil Terminal (HPCL). By implementing the recommended safety measures, the facility can significantly reduce risk exposure, ensuring a safer working environment.