Cognascents is dedicated to providing our clients with experts that are up-to-date with the latest working knowledge across the Asset Integrity, Process Engineering, Process Safety and Reliability spectrums. In striving to achieve this goal, our experts are often a part of technical discussions and debates. The Technical Toolkit will serve as our avenue to share information learned from these experiences within the dynamic Process Engineering and Process Safety Worlds.
Technical Blog“This Far, and No Further”: Why Safe Operating Limits Matter More Than You Think In facilities with robust control systems, reliable alarms, and experienced operators, it’s easy to assume you already have everything in place to run safely and efficiently. So, when the topic of Safe Operating Limits (SOLs) comes up, the reaction is…
Technical BlogDeveloping a Robust PSM Program: A Practical Roadmap Implementing a comprehensive Process Safety Management (PSM) program can be a complex task—especially for organizations starting from scratch. Whether driven by regulatory requirements or a proactive safety culture, building a program that is both effective and sustainable takes planning, collaboration, and technical discipline. In this blog,…
Technical BlogDon’t Lose Sight of Your Process Safety Targets: The Critical Role of Pressure Relief Devices Pressure relief devices (PRDs) serve as the last line of defense in protecting industrial assets from catastrophic failures. Their effectiveness relies on rigorous inspection, testing, and maintenance to ensure they function as intended under all operating conditions. Neglecting these…
Technical BlogKnown Hazards, Unknown Risks: Closing the Gap in Process Safety In the world of process safety, we often find ourselves dealing with hazardous situations that are often discussed and well-documented yet still lead to unexpected incidents. The challenge isn’t necessarily in agreeing that certain situations contain hazards but rather in sifting through the myriad…
Technical BlogThe Importance of Flare Studies: Addressing Key Challenges & Optimizing Safety Flare systems play a vital role in industrial safety, particularly in the oil, gas, and chemical sectors, not only by handling relief fluids from overpressure events but also by managing excess gas during process upsets, depressurizing events, and specific modes of operation such…
Technical BlogStrategies for Optimizing Inspection Budgets With the ebbs and flows of any industry, many organizations face pressure to cut costs, including inspection budgets. When the fundamental driver for inspection is regulatory requirements and risk management, cutting inspection scopes can be challenging. The approach must be to optimize, not sacrifice. Inspection optimization doesn’t mean compromising…
Technical BlogAutomating Vibration Analysis to Support Condition-Based Maintenance Automating vibration analysis holds significant potential for improving condition-based maintenance (CBM) programs, but the path to full automation is not without its challenges. Vibration analysis has been a trusted method for understanding the health of rotating machinery for years, offering insights into machine performance without requiring deep…
Technical BlogEnhancing Process Safety: Integrating Mechanical Integrity into HAZOP/LOPA Studies In today’s complex industrial environments, ensuring process safety is more critical than ever. Traditional risk assessment methods, such as Hazard and Operability (HAZOP) studies and Layer of Protection Analysis (LOPA), have long been the backbone of risk management. However, as industries evolve, so must our…
Over the past few decades, the Chemical and Oil & Gas industry has faced a relentless onslaught in the media, resulting in tangible consequences. The workforce is experiencing a decline in the influx of new engineers compared to the departure of seasoned professionals. This imbalance places the burden on fewer individuals with limited experience, expected…
It is easy to fixate on production goals and become complacent towards everyday hazards in a process unit. Process Hazard Analyses (PHAs) present a unique opportunity for teams of operators and engineers to sit down, think critically about their process, and identify hazards that may need additional measures to mitigate the operational risks to personnel.…
When the dust settles after completion of a facility’s relief system design revalidation, the difficult task of mitigating any identified deficiencies begins. The question inevitably arises as to which deficiencies to address first, and if your facility has recently undergone a unit wide or facility wide relief system revalidation, you may be wondering how to…
Some time ago, a client had a heat and material balance that they wanted recreated and scaled, but the only documentation the client had in regards to process chemistry was a set of PFDs with stream tables. Based on the flow rates and compositions on the page (what was appearing and disappearing), I had to…
Maintaining the integrity of the relief system design basis for a PSM covered facility is no easy task. Especially when a single facility, such as a refinery or chemical plant, can contain thousands of relief devices. However, as the old saying goes, “there’s more than one way to skin a cat”. Our clients have chosen…
A few years ago, I was having dinner with a colleague after completing a HAZOP for a client. As we discussed the PHA, the topic of safety culture came up. What are the hallmarks of a good safety culture, how have we been seeing it wax and wane among clients, and how have we experienced…
For the past many Springs, I have taught a Process Safety class at Rice University. I thoroughly enjoy imparting knowledge of my craft. I am also inspired every year by the promise of the students as they march towards the end of their undergraduate careers. One of the questions I get asked a lot by…
1. What Mechanical Integrity program improvements will deliver integrity and reliability performance? Visualization and Digital Twins:For me personally, visualization is critical to enhancing any program. Whether I am looking at a spreadsheet, an inspection report, an engineering specification sheet or U1A, visualization of a digital twin helps me visualize the equipment and its degradation locations.…
I recently finished the book Riding Rockets by Mike Mullane. The book is a memoir of the author’s time as an astronaut at NASA during the heyday of the Space Shuttle Program. With the recent 35th anniversary of the Challenger disaster, I could not help but reflect on some of the insights from the book.…
Alright; stop, grab a seat, and listen… It was COLD in Texas. REALLY cold. However, with simple planning for reliability, Texans could have possibly prevented multiple pipe-freezing failures that are continuing to plague many as we thaw out from Winter Storm Uri. Hopefully, my story and observations of our collective pipe-freezing situation will remind us…
2020 was a tough year. Whether you merely survived or managed to thrive, 2020 took more out of you than other years. Each of us has a story to tell coming out of 2020 and the endings to some have not been written yet. Most of us know someone by now who did not beat…
Encourage employees and clients to ask why and listen with respect. Challenge everything. It shows you care, forces others to listen to their own convictions, and you’ll probably learn something. The corollary to this is it only works if you listen. If you wouldn’t let your kids do it, you shouldn’t do it. Process safety…
1. What are the challenges operators are facing when trying to maintain their relief system program in a low-price oil environment? The industry faces several challenges in the current low-price climate specifically due to the uncertainty in the pandemic-driven supply and demand pressures that extend beyond normal market economics. In addition to the impact of…
Time. There are so many quotes and books and scientific deliberations on the topic. Some say it flies. Others say it is relative. And a few believe it to be money. They are all right. Time is everything and nothing all at the same time. In previous blogs, I have waxed philosophical on my thoughts…
I worry a lot. No, seriously, I worry A LOT! I always have and I expect I always will. I sometimes worry that I am an un-diagnosed anxiety disorder patient wading through an ever-increasingly angst-filled world. To better deal with the increasing number of stressors in my life during the pandemic, I have adopted what…
As we go about our lives, especially during the Holiday season, we oftentimes find ourselves being pulled in many directions by imaginary, yet seemingly very real, strings. These strings tug at our mental capacity. They tug at our heart and soul. They tug at our physical faculties and muscles. They tug and pull and yank…
One of the elements of the PSM standard that most people are familiar with is Management of Change (MOC). The purpose of the MOC process is to provide a systematic way to manage changes to the process unit that are not “replacements in kind”. This process is managed differently by most companies, and sometimes, managed…
Do you have some place better to be? Do you have something better to do? Are you running from task to task and activity to activity so fast that you don’t seem to have time to care about the task or activity at hand? You know what you have to do, right? You know you…
As the famous artist, Vincent Van Gogh, said, “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.” The “small things” in process engineering are no different and can have a big influence on a project’s bottom line. The impact of process engineering on the economics of a capital project is often overlooked…
My sister-in-law, Judy Perez, recently passed away after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Her last days were tough on everyone close to her. There is no doubt that cancer sucks! Being around death is not a habit I want to develop; however, exposure to the physical, mental, and spiritual grit that accompanies many…
Several years ago, while working in a refinery, I noticed a relief valve with its inlet block valve completely closed. I radioed an operator for assistance. Within minutes, two operators arrived and confirmed that the valve should not be closed. They opened the valve and thanked me for notifying them. In following up a…
Picture this…you’ve begun work with a manufacturing facility, and you notice that the facility doesn’t seem to have a robust inspection program. As you dig a little deeper, you find that inspections have been done in the past; however, there are no records that anything has been done to that equipment since inspection. In the…
My sister-in-law, Judy Perez, is battling Stage 4 pancreatic cancer and has been for over four years. She just started a cycle of compassionate care treatment at MD Anderson. Life has been especially tough for her and my brother, Julio Perez, these last several months. They have dealt with physical pain, emotional highs and lows,…
Energy organizations such as chemical manufacturers, oil and gas production, and even pharmaceutical manufacturers strive to maintain a Process Safety Management (PSM) program to ensure the safety of their employees and those around their facilities. Many of these organizations are familiar with the requirements of PSM including the process of conducting Process Hazard Analysis (PHA)…
At every facility, there is a point during the process hazard analysis when the team inevitably dives into “the black hole” of flare/relief/scrubber systems. Following strict HAZOP analysis methodology, a team documents all deviations from normal operating limits. However, with most relief systems, this leaves the team facing numerous causes, and with each source, having…
When performing a process hazard analysis (PHA), often people of different positions and specializations are gathered in the meeting room to assess the chosen process on its safety and ability to safeguard against inherent hazards. These groups can include personnel from maintenance, operations, engineering, HS&E (Health, Safety, and Environmental), and management. This diversity of thought…
I have worked in the PSM consulting business for close to 20 years. When I graduated from college, I did not set out to be a PSM engineer or consultant. PSM was in its formal infancy when I started my career as a chemical engineer with Rohm and Haas. I was fortunate that Rohm and…
Engineers have a bad rap regarding crimes against the literary world. While it may be true a good percentage of the time that engineers prefer to use their writing implements to solve an equation rather than pen a technical masterpiece of prose, it is not an absolute fact that all engineers create a vacuum when…
From previous blog entries, some of you know I respect the annual personal or professional reset brought about by the turning of the calendar page from December to January. A new year is as good a time as any to reflect on years past and look forward to years future with the intent of centering…
For facilities having to comply with the 1910.119 Process Safety Management (PSM) mandate of 1992, Process Hazard Analyses (PHAs) are required to be revalidated every five years after the initial effort. To refresh your memory, the mandate requires that Process Safety Information (PSI) be compiled and verified as accurate prior to conducting the initial PHA.…
A scenario recently came up in one of our HAZOP / LOPA studies that made me question how well our industry risk assesses utility systems.
You never know when a smile will turn into a long-lasting memory, but I guarantee you that engaging a screen for hours will not make it to your Top Ten Favorite Memories list when you are 20 or 30 or 50 or 70. Memories are made in real life.
“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” – Ferris Bueller The personal significance of the above quote from one of my favorite movies has evolved since my high school days. In high school, Ferris’ wisdom was a good reminder to get my head…
One of the challenges in relief valve sizing is ensuring the stability of the relief valve.
Do you remember the last time you betrayed someone or let someone down by not meeting your commitments? Was it missing or cancelling a lunch date? Was it telling a little white lie? Was it omitting part of the truth? Was it choosing something or someone different for the sake of variety? Was it staying…
A pressure relief device is the last layer of defense in chemical plants, refineries, and upstream facilities. Documentation of relief system design is required by OSHA to ensure safe plant operation.
An important part of Process Safety Information (PSI) is verifying your Process and Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs), Electrical Area Classification (EACs), and Facility Sitings are current and accurate.
The point of education is not just to learn facts or be able solve math problems, but to develop skills that make us better, more well-rounded individuals. So, with that said, the next time that a recent college or high school graduate complains about having had to learn, “things they will never use again,” remind them that the critical thinking and reasoning skills that they developed are more important than the actual information they had to study.
I keep hearing and reading how pessimistic and apathetic we are as a society. I have really started paying attention to what I see and hear through media, family, and friends. Sometimes we don’t realize when our thoughts, words, and actions turn toxic. It is a full-time job to keep the toxicity at bay and…
The benefits of trying drone technology far outweigh the risks, and with ever increasing pressure on cutting costs, drones provide a unique opportunity to improve productivity and deliver cost savings.
Both of my parents were educators. Needless to say, learning was a valued activity growing up. Even during summers, my parents worked hard to balance creative and unfocused time with reading and learning time. Looking back, they did a good job of letting me goof around enough during summers while also driving me to be…
There is a crucial difference between looking at your P&IDs and reading your P&IDs. When was the last time you sat down and actually read your P&IDs? Have you taken the time to go line-by-line and understand what the P&IDs are depicting? We can imagine your answers to these questions, so next ask yourself, —…
This blog synthesizes two of my passions – reading and Scouting. The Boy Scout motto is “Be Prepared”. When asked what Scouts should be prepared for, Lord Baden-Powell’s response was “Why, for any old thing”. B-P developed the Scouting program and movement with a firm intent for young men to always be “in a state…
