Over the Top: Process Safety Lessons Related to Liquid Level in Process Vessels and Tanks

World oil prices are at historically low levels, and surplus production means tank storage of hazardous liquids are being filled to capacity.

This session will introduce guests to lessons learnt and focus areas related to overfill prevention in operation and design for existing and new or repurposed liquid storage tanks and process vessels, using examples of major incidents and the speaker's personal experience.

Besides the 2005 Texas City and Buncefield incidents, the speaker will reference several examples from experience, including incident investigations.

Learn why liquid level instrumentation sometimes give false readings or their output is misunderstood, and how this can lead to overfilling a process vessel or storage tank. The presentation will also discuss some common design and installation errors, and dispell several myths relating to level measurement. Normal operation is considered, together with abnormal conditions such as at start-up and high turndown, and how in some situations the plant design makes operation above the safe upper level during start-up likely and in other cases certain.

Attendees will also learn about the management of change issues associated with the re-use of vessels and tanks in different services or modified plant operation, together with some Human Factors issues.