LOSS PREVENTION

Process Plant and Manufacturing Complex Layout Studies

The definition of a consistent layout for a project envisages 3 targets:

a- to guarantee that the most hazardous plants do not represent an unnecessary hazard to other plants, equipment and people as a result of a very close position;

b- as a logical consequence, the individual plants that form a manufacturing complex should be distanced from each other, and also from surrounding properties or public roads, in such way that an incident started in a first plant does not spread to the others or outside the battery limits through the domino effect. These should be taken into account: internal explosion, fire, flammable or toxic material emissions;

c- providing adequate access to all locations, so that rescue operations and firefighting, etc., do not have any kind of restriction.

The layout of the several parts that form a particular plant, as well as the several plants that form a manufacturing complex, can be decisive to interrupt a possible domino effect started by an event, with potential to destroy various neighboring plants.

The various basic factors to affect a layout definition are addressed on standards and codes of practice, namely: factory limits location, railway lines crossing, control rooms, offices, workshops, loading and unloading stations, tank farm, pipe ways, etc. However, a consequence analysis for the possible hazardous events may prove necessary to determine the most appropriate layout.