SAFER Systems’ Chemical Emergency Response Solutions Go Beyond Traditional Expectations at NOVA Chemicals

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas). SAFER Systems (Camarillo, California) has teamed up with NOVA Chemicals Corporation (Corunna, Ontario) in the recent SAFER Real-Time® case study, “NOVA Chemicals – Early Detection Leads to Prevention.” The study chronicles NOVA’s challenge to monitor unattended vessels during maintenance turnaround and construction projects. This approach helps offset the cost of a traditional 24-hour, 7 day-a-week, open-vessel monitoring program at the NOVA Corunna petrochemical plant in Ontario, Canada.

The challenge was different in that the problem did not involve finding a way to respond to a chemical incident. NOVA was already a user of SAFER’s emergency response technology; however, SAFER introduced NOVA to the potential of integrating its SAFER system with sensor technology to address site turnaround issues. Using RAE Systems’ wireless, GPS-enabled, five gas sensor “AreaRAE” and SAFER’s Real-Time® technology, NOVA operations staff can view all the monitoring data and locations on a GIS map, Plant AutoCAD and high resolution aerial imagery in a centralized monitoring room. “It’s like mission control,” says SAFER Regional Business Manager, Bob Gerow.

Plant personnel can see what is happening as it happens. When an emergency occurs, live weather and gas monitoring information is displayed on the system, allowing plant personnel to make more informed decisions in real time. In the turnaround control room, plant officials can see a screen that gives them a meteorological perspective, as well as any detected gas concentrations that might concern them, improving their situational awareness. In the absence of such a system, a plant must have personnel in the field to monitor the vessels and report changing conditions.

“Here is a tool originally intended to help manage incidents, but which can also in fact be used to detect incidents at their earliest stages during the normal course of operations and maintenance work,” notes Andy Hart, Team Lead—Responsible Care at the Nova Corunna Facility.

Another benefit realized from implementing this integrated technology is familiarity with the emergency management system. The more a person uses the technology, the more familiar they become with it, which in turn will help when the time comes to respond to an emergency situation. The approach also leverages the investment NOVA made in their SAFER system. Originally set up for emergency response, the system is now used more regularly to monitor conditions in remote areas of the plant, precluding the need to have someone “baby-sit” an open, unattended vessel. The cost of implementing such an integrated system is offset by not having to man the stations all the time. “Today one individual can take a number of these detectors, drop them off where they need to be, and monitor conditions at each location from the relative comfort and safety of their control room,” said Gerow.

The return on investment is one of the biggest points SAFER is driving home with this case study. The investment required to implement such a system at a petrochemical facility can exceed $200,000 depending on the features selected, with the sensor technology accounting for close to $50,000 of that total. To date, SAFER Real-Time® has been implemented at more than 150 plants worldwide. Gerow believes he knows why this number is so large. “If someone reads the case study, one reaction might be ‘Well we do that. We have gas detectors, confined space entry procedures, and so on.’ But, it’s the integration of the system that frees up resources and gives plants added flexibility, centralized control and reduced cost.”

For more information, read the case study by clicking here – SAFER Real-Time® Case Study – SAFER Real-Time® Case Study - NOVA Chemicals.

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