90049 - Laboratory of Process Safety M

Academic Year 2024/2025

  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
  • Campus: Bologna
  • Corso: Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Environmental Engineering (cod. 8894)

    Also valid for Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Chemical and Process Engineering (cod. 8896)

Learning outcomes

The course introduces the student to the application of techniques for hazard identification and quantitative risk assessment, by the analysis of process safety case-studies.

Course contents

Requirements/Prior knowledge

A prior knowledge and understanding of the principles of hazard identification in major hazard process plants and quantitative risk assessment is required to attend with profit this course. At UniBo these knowledge is provided in the courses of "Industrial Safety" and "Affidabilità e sicurezza nell'industria di processo".

Fluent spoken and written English is a necessary pre-requisite: all lectures and tutorials, and all study material will be in English.

Course Contents

The concepts learned in the previous Industrial Safety courses will be applied to concrete case studies. The students will use the main tools in risk assessment and will learn about the typical issues in its practical application. The course unfolds around problem-based learning activities in small groups to develop a project.

Detailed program:

1) Introduction

Basic review of the quantitative risk assessment procedure. Risk reduction strategies and design for safety. Introduction to relevant regulations. Assignment of a case-study.

2) HazOp and bow-tie analysis

Review of the HazOp analysis. Fault tree analysis. Event tree analysis. Application to the case-study.

3) Frequency evaluation

Frequency quantification of the bow-tie diagrams. Analysis of the relevant databases for frequencies. Application to top-events in the case-study.

4) Consequence and damage assessment

Review of accident scenarios. Review of main consequence and damage models. Consequence assessment software: use and simulation. Application to the case-study.

5) Risk assessment

Risk re-composition. Risk index calculation. Analysis of the possible risk mitigation initiatives. Application to the case-study.

Readings/Bibliography

Optional course references:

  • Lees' Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, S. Mannan editor, IV ed., Butterworth-Heineman, Oxford, UK, 2011
  • Centre for Chemical Process Safety of AIChE, Guidelines for chemical process quantitative risk analysis (II ed.), New York, USA, 1999
  • Center for Chemical Process Safety of AIChE, Guidelines for hazard evaluation procedures (III ed.), AIChE, New York, USA, 2008
  • TNO, Methods for the calculation of physical effects (Yellow book), Report CPR 14E (III ed.), The Hague, NL, 1997

Teaching methods

In-class/online lessons

Tutorials

Self-directed work

Team work

Assessment methods

The final exam will consist in the preparation of a report presenting the completed activities of the case-study. A Passing / Failing grade will be awarded.

The exam is set to evaluate the students' knowledge-level, application abilities, and technical communication skills.

Passing grade will be awarded to students who demonstrate an organic understanding of the subject, ability for critical application, and an appropiate use of technical language.

A failing grade will be awarded if the student shows knowledge gaps in key-concepts of the subject, inappropriate use of language, and/or logic failures in the analysis of the subject.

Teaching tools

Lecture slides and integrative supporting material will be available on-line (virtuale.unibo.it)

A password will be comunicated the first day of lesson.

Computer lab will be available, according to a schedule yet to be defined, for project-related activities.

Office hours

See the website of Alessandro Tugnoli

SDGs

Good health and well-being Industry, innovation and infrastructure

This teaching activity contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda.