Scenario-Based Risk Assessment for Ammonia Storage Facility

This report presents a risk assessment for a proposed ammonia storage facility, focusing on a leaking tank scenario. The assessment employs both qualitative and quantitative methods, considering factors like temperature, wind direction, and ammonia's chemical properties. The study utilizes ALOHA software for dispersion modeling to analyze the consequences of a leak, categorizing the impact into zones based on concentration levels. Fire prevention and protection measures, adhering to OSHA guidelines, are discussed to mitigate potential hazards. The report also includes a case study of Pardis petrochemical company to evaluate the extent of damages in case of a fire incident. The student also identifies potential sources of explosions, outlines workers' rights and emphasizes adherence to safety standards to prevent incidents.

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Ammonia storage plant risk assessment.
The risk scenario under investigation is a leaking storage tank. On a quantitative
perspective, leakages are among the leading source of loss in companies dealing with storage of
liquid and gas products. Ammonia is a chemical that can have health repercussions to the public.
Ammonia in gas for is hydrous, corrosive and can also form other by products when mixed with
some atoms in the atmosphere. For example when ammonia interacts with oxygen, it forms nitric
oxide and water. Nitric oxide decomposes in the air causing respiratory problems. An ammonia
storage facility can attract massive developments in a place. People may settle around the facility
for business reasons thus may get affected if the gas is released in the atmosphere. What would
cause leakages in an ammonia storage tank? Leakages can be started by extreme climatic
condition. The state in which ammonia is stored is also a factor to consider.
In most cases, ammonia is stored in aqueous or liquid form. Liquid state of the gas is the
only state of the gas that can withstand temperatures higher than the gas’s boiling point which is
-33.340c. This boiling point is impossible to contain in room temperature and pressure (Timmer,
Olthuis & Van Den Berg, 2019). Liquid state is therefore the only state that can persevere room
temperature and pressure of all countries. Atmospheric condition of a place are therefore
parameters that require investigation.
Qualitative parameters required were temperature and wind direction to determine
direction of impact. Atmospheric parameters were derived from the world Weather Information
Center. Temperature and wind speed were derived from the weather information center’s
website. Wind source was assumed to originate from the seashores overlooking Muscat.

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Qualitative and quantitative parameters were combined together and processed in ALOHA
software. The output which is a graph and a map are further described in the results section.
Consequence analysis
Ammonia effects spread in the air thus spreading its side effects. The more the
concentration of ammonia in the atmosphere the more the more the impact of the gas to people
within the vicinity. The extent of the risk was calculated using ALOHA paradigm engrossed in
the ALOHA software. People close to the storage facility are the most affected thus need more
protection. The extent of consequence was categorized in zones that were created inside ALOHA
through a formula that assigns risks coded in the order of extreme results, medium impact and
low impact. Low impact zones are zones that experience the least effects. This is the zone that is
far away from the storage facility. Medium zone is placed at the center of the ALOHA map. The
zone receives effects that can become extreme if intake of gas persists. The last zone on the map
is the extreme zone which is located near the epicenter.
Results
Consequence analysis

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Assumption justification.
Fig 1

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Fig 2

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Fig 3
Results discussion
AS can be seen in Fig 1 in the results section, the site is located inland of the Oman gulf.
The site overlooks the ocean from the southern side. The figure also shows the direction of
impact in case the disaster predicted occurred. As can be seen from the diagram, the effects of
leaked ammonia would be pushed in one direction with the biggest zone comprising of the least
results. The yellow zone is the area most likely to be affected by investors who will target
workers in the storage facilities. The second region colored orange is the mid-level region that
may culminate to extreme if the problem is not solved in time. Mostly this zone includes areas
with offices and parking lots of the facility heads. This zone is mostly some miles from the
storage tanks. The last zone is the danger zone.
In Fig 1, the danger zone is coded with red. This is the zone that contains the highest
concentration of ammonia in the air. People likely to be in this areas are maintenance workers.

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As can be seen in Fig 1, the shape of the diagram mirrors that of a balloon. The shape of the
diagram can be used to indicate the direction of the wind. Fig 1 mirrors a balloon under pressure.
The atmosphere is therefore assumed to have a boundary that stretches towards wind direction.
Fig 3 in the results section shows a graph indicating how the gas spread over a distance in
miles. The question is, how far each level of concentration from the epicenter of the source is. As
can be seen in Fig 3, the concentration of the gas rises from the epicenter and decreases as the
distance increases towards the low zone. The gas reaches it’s an optimum as it edges towards the
low zone of dispersion. Graphical data of different points in the map can be derived by double
clicking on the point of interest. This aspect of the map makes risk assessment even more
detailed. Point to point detailing can help the management of the storage facility to plan their
parcel of land. Concentration of Ammonia inside a room would increase significantly with
increase of exposure time as shown in fig 3. Figure two indicated the mentioned zones.
Assumptions
Wind source was the biggest assumption that was made in the project. The source of
wind for the site could originate from low pressure zones near the site. The assumption is made
based on the fact that water bodies are mostly wind sources. Assumption of wind source leads to
projection of wind direction. Another assumption made was that the storage facility would attract
settlements in the vicinity. Settlers are also not informed of the effects ahead of them. It is also
assumed that buildings near the storage facility are located some fair distance from the tanks. A
fair distance in this case can be regarded as the distance far enough to spare the management
from the effects resulting from the tanks. It is also assumed that wind directions are stable and do
not change their direction often.

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Fire prevention measures
Ammonia tanks can burst if exposed to considerably high temperature. Exposing the
tanks in extreme temperatures could cause explosion of the tanks. Extremely high temperatures
can emanate from fire accidents near storage tanks (Timmer, Olthuis & Van Den Berg, 2019). It
was therefore important to prevent the site against fire accidents by following the stipulated
guidelines on installation of Ammonia tanks. Guidelines are also important in providing
efficiency of command lines in case of an occurrence. Following of stipulated guidelines helps
simplifies the work of insurance companies especially when confirming their checklist.
According to OSHA, internal combustion engines presents a risk of explosion when used
in facilities that process flammable fluids. Vapors and gas states of Ammonia can become
catastrophic if released in this facilities (Lee & Lee, 2005). OSHA and the U.S chemical safety
board have each documented historical fires in various work places. Work places considered
were oil refineries, chemical plants and oil fields among other facilities. From their
investigations, OSHA and the U.S chemical safety board pointed out most fires to have been
caused by internal combustion engines.
Some examples of internal combustion engines are:
 Compressors, pumps and generators usually referred to as stationary engines.
 Engines with moving parts such as cranes, trucks, drilling rigs, oil servicing
equipment and forklifts just to mention a few.
 Vehicles belonging to the staff mostly inspectors and contractors.
 Emergency response systems mostly comprised of fire fighting vehicles and
ambulance vans.

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 Portable engines such as mowers and chain saws that are mostly brought on site
by the service team.
Adhering to standards.
Internal combustion engines work by combining air and fuel for smooth operation. Air
enters the combustion chambers through the intake pipe. Hydrogen gas from ammonia can enter
the combustion chambers thus igniting an explosion of the machine. To control accidents
emanating from internal combustion engines, a management area will be zooned out and fenced
(Lee & Lee, 2005). Fencing of the working area will control movement of internal combustion
machines into the site. A gate should connect the working area with the area where storage plants
are situated. The gate should be well guarded by a watch man/woman. The work of the guard is
to ensure OSHA guidelines are well adhered. Frequent inspections should also be conducted
within the storage facility to ensure safety at all times. NFPA 505 stipulates that trucks should
have designated areas of use. Diesel engine manufacturers association DEMA also provides
guidelines for the usage of medium speed engines.
Management of the storage plant should ensure that all workers on site are well informed
of OSHA regulations. The facility management can decide to utilize experienced experts who
fully understands OSHA guidelines or they can also subscribe to OSHA consultation services
(Lee & Lee, 2005). OSHA on site is a free onsite compliance assistance program meant for small
and medium sized entities. OSHA website is also a good source of information regarding safety
compliance. The proposed storage plant may utilize services from this website as they are
comprehensive and available anytime of the day.

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Another OSHA regulation that should be considered by a storage plant management is
rights of their workers (Lee & Lee, 2005). Workers are entitled to certain rights in their working
environments. Some of the rights that a worker is entitled to include but not limited by the list
below:
 OSHA has a mandate to ensure that companies working in chemical plants are well
protected. All workers are therefore entitled to working conditions that are safe and free
of risk or serious harm. To ensure that all workers are operating in an environment free of
harmful gases, workers should be provided with gas masks for use in areas with most
risks.
 Workers should be trained in a language that is most conversant with them to
prevent misunderstanding.
 According to OSHA, workers should be granted an opportunity to review
occurencies that occurred previously.
 During risk updating activities, all workers are entitled copies of test results that
measure and analyze hazards around t hem.
 Workers should be allowed to call upon OSHA to conduct an investigation in case
they fear of an incoming hazard.
 All workers should also be allowed to exercise their side of the law in accordance
with OSHA laws.
Extent of damage using the case study of Pardis petrochemical company.
The extent of damages due to fire was evaluated. The evaluation was based on a case
study of Pardis petrochemical company. The company sits on a 64ha piece of land south of
Bushehr port in the pars energy. Located in Iran, atmospheric conditions are similar to Muscat

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Oman thus results were deemed appropriate. Pardis lost most of its lubricating and oil piping
fittings in a fiasco that was caused by fire. Cables interconnecting instruments’ were burnt to
ashes. Pardis also had their compressor governor and actuator systems damaged. Turbines in the
plants also had their castings damaged.
The Pardis incidence can offer some good learning experience to any company willing to
start a new plant. Before considering what went wrong in the incident, it is important to look at
how Pardis responded to the problem. Pardis was able to identify the source of the problem with
great ease. The company was helped by a combination of an alarm connected to the PDT-3027
system. Operators in the control room were also quick in responding to the incidence. The
company also took urgency by announcing the incidence to their neighbors that provided the
company with both technical and advisory assistance.
Failures
 During the first few minutes of the incidence, the fire water loop was experiencing low
pressure. The company also lacked standalone water loops thus complicating the incident
even more.
 The management system failed to predict the incidence. The protocol of command flow
also did not appear fluent.
 Upon arrival, the firefighting crew was not well organized as they concentrated on a
small portion of the burning shift whereas had spread to the neighboring shifts.
 Pardis also made a blunder of allowing unrelated personnel to the scene. Unrelated
personnel complicated the situation on ground by allowing the unrelated people to make
commands during the incidence.

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 Water was spread directly over compressor turbines thus leading to a consequence drop
in temperature which resulted to damaging castings through temperature shock.
Pardis as a company did not adhere to the stipulated guidelines by doing the following:
o Tubes in the burning section in particular did not have safety guards.
o The company did not conduct regular inspections in the facility thus leading to
negligence.
o Pardis had done more of instrument piping as opposed to the installation of piping in
most of the segments.
o No updates were made to the incident command system.
o No incident drills had been made in the compressor room as is recommended by the
guidelines. Firefighting drills could have helped in rehearsing on the actual occurrence.
The fire incident at Pardis can be used to project on a large scale the risks probable to the
Ammonia storage facility. After the fire incidence, Pardis Company made installation of closed
circuit cameras one of their priorities (Welsh & Farrington, 2002). Cctv cameras were installed
for the purposes of monitoring all occurencies in real time. The proposed ammonia storage
facility can borrow a leaf from this innovation to their company. Installation of CCTV cameras
can help to determine the source of an occurrence. CCTV cameras can also be used in control
rooms to give commands.
Suggestions based on project results.
As can be deduced from the results, the winds flow in the north- south direction. The
proposed ammonia company can prevent occurrences similar to that of Pardis by locating staff