Utilização de ferramentas computacionais para avaliação de estudos de HazOp

Abstract

The present work proposes the use of computational tools to aid in hazard analysis studies, being the HazOp technique the focus of this work. Two approaches were adopted. The first is related to the development of steady state process simulations using traditional industrial software. The results of the simulations were evaluated in the form of a sensitivity analysis, in order to establish a relationship between the variables within a given process, therefore aiding in HazOp studies. The second approach is related to the creation of an objective representation of HazOp studies, through the elaboration of cause and effect matrices for usual equipment of the chemical industry. These individual matrices were then combined, through a computational routine and according to the applied case studies, in order to obtain the consequences for given perturbations in a chemical process. In this case, through graph analysis, it was possible to characterize the interrelationships of the logic variables and to characterize the number of sequences with possible inconsistencies obtained from traditional HazOp technique.It could be observed that the proposed methodologies demonstrate potential, with the capacity to add information to traditional HazOp studies, which helps to eliminate inconsistences and to verify the primary causes of disturbances. In addition, at the academic level, they show potential for teaching process safety studiesto undergraduate students.