Dynamic simulation-based quantitative hazard and operability process hazard analysis for a hydrocracking unit

Abstract

A hydrocracking unit operates at high temperature, high pressure, and near hydrogen, which can be susceptible to fire and explosions accidents due to equipment failure. Therefore, it is essential to identify and analyze the risk factors. The dynamic simulation-based quantitative hazard and operability (HAZOP) study can effectively and purposefully quantify deviations and consequences as well as reduce the redundancy of safety analysis results. Furthermore, the time parameter is introduced through dynamic simulation, which reflects more realistically the dynamic characteristics of the system in the event of a fault. In this paper, we take the process flow of the absorbing-stabilizing system of an actual hydrocracking unit in a refining company as an example and carry out steady-state and dynamic simulations for the deviations of pressure, temperature, and liquid level with the help of Aspen Plus V11 and Aspen Plus Dynamics V11 software to complete the dynamic simulation-based quantitative HAZOP analysis.