Identification and Investigation of Process and Environmental Hazards by HAZOP Method in Tank Farm Unit of Sarakhs Shahid Hasheminejad Gas Refinery

There always exist the potential hazards in the oil and gas industries for financial and environmental losses and irreplaceable injuries. Therefore, precise identification of potential risks in the oil and gas industries and risk management with the aim of safety enhancement and minimizing accidents are of great importance. The aim of this work is examination and identification of the risks of the tank farm unit of Sarakhs Shahid Hasheminejad Gas Refinery. This unit, because of storage of high volumes of gas condensate in cylindrical tanks, is always a potential risk causing human, environmental and financial impacts. In the present study, the Hazard and Operation Study (HAZOP) was used from among various methods of risk identification because of its advantage over other methods. Moreover, in order to increase accuracy and speed in risk identification, the PHA-Pro software was used. In this method, after identification of nodes, deviations were determined and based on a risk number, suggestions for reduction of their incidence were provided. The results of the present study reveal that most suggestions were related to installation of warning devices and personnel training, which if observed, the risk number of deviations will reach an acceptable level.