Incident 02-001 Casualties during prill tower cleaning
- mark.brouwer
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Incident 02-001 Casualties during prill tower cleaning
Post by mark.brouwer »
The Incident:
In a Fertilizer manufacturing factory urea manufactured in prill tower passes through a grizzly (a stainless steel selve) and falls on a conveyor. To facilitate repairing works to be carried out to a grizzly bar, two mental rods were placed above the grizzly bar and this was covered by a tarpaulin sheet right below this arrangement welding of grizzly bar was carried out.
When the welding process was being carried out heavy lumps of urea started falling down from the prill tower and fell on the iron plates placed over the grizzly bar. The iron plates along with heavy lumps of urea fell on the workers working right below the covered tarpaulin sheet and they sustained head Injuries and died.
The Causes :
The temporary arrangements made above the grizzly bar to facilitate welding work was not of a strong and rigid construction to withstand falling of heavy lumps of urea from prill tower.
The Consequences:
Several casualties
The Lessons learned
Working in a prill tower with urea lumps is dangerous: clean first or take care of proper protection
In a Fertilizer manufacturing factory urea manufactured in prill tower passes through a grizzly (a stainless steel selve) and falls on a conveyor. To facilitate repairing works to be carried out to a grizzly bar, two mental rods were placed above the grizzly bar and this was covered by a tarpaulin sheet right below this arrangement welding of grizzly bar was carried out.
When the welding process was being carried out heavy lumps of urea started falling down from the prill tower and fell on the iron plates placed over the grizzly bar. The iron plates along with heavy lumps of urea fell on the workers working right below the covered tarpaulin sheet and they sustained head Injuries and died.
The Causes :
The temporary arrangements made above the grizzly bar to facilitate welding work was not of a strong and rigid construction to withstand falling of heavy lumps of urea from prill tower.
The Consequences:
Several casualties
The Lessons learned
Working in a prill tower with urea lumps is dangerous: clean first or take care of proper protection
- Saqib205
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Wed Feb 07, 2018 5:41 am
- Title: Process Engineer
- First name: Saqib205
- Last name: Raza
- Department: Technical Services Department
- Company: Fatima Fertilizer Company Limited
- Country: Pakistan
- Urea Plant Technology: Stamicarbon
- Years in operation: 8
- Design Capacity [mtpd]: 1500
- Actual Capacity [mtpd]: 1650
- Final product: Prills
- Contact:
Re: Incident 02-001 Casualties during prill tower cleaning
Unread post by Saqib205 »
Recently we observed an unfortunate incident in our urea prill tower. Lumps formation on prill tower walls and its cleaning is a routine phenomenon. Normally this cleaning frequency is 1~1.5 months at our plant depending on weather conditions and thickness of lumps. This month due to continuous same wind direction, significant urea lumps were formed on one side of wall. Its cleaning was planned two days after but on Friday night (23rd Feb’18) a lump of almost 20’x15’ dimension fell from height of about 65~70m on prill tower bottom cone which damaged the concrete structure of conical part near outlet chute. Due to this damage arm of scrapper tilted on one side, touched on ground and tripped on over load. After washing the prill tower floor, it was found that conical concrete structure had such a severe damage that while washing, water was passing through it.
Kindly review the situation critically and advise the quick and practical solution to get out this tough situation.
We need to immediate support on followings:
1. Do you any plant reference that faced similar incident or repair work was carried out on prill tower floor?
2. Can we operate plant without using scrapper and increasing the bottom cone angle up to 30o. Kindly share details of prill tower design without scrapper if available with you?
3. What could be the best design for urea product flow on tower bottom without scrapper?
Looking forward to your immediate response please.
Best Regards,
Saqib Raza
Kindly review the situation critically and advise the quick and practical solution to get out this tough situation.
We need to immediate support on followings:
1. Do you any plant reference that faced similar incident or repair work was carried out on prill tower floor?
2. Can we operate plant without using scrapper and increasing the bottom cone angle up to 30o. Kindly share details of prill tower design without scrapper if available with you?
3. What could be the best design for urea product flow on tower bottom without scrapper?
Looking forward to your immediate response please.
Best Regards,
Saqib Raza
- naseemce
- Experienced
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- Joined: Mon Dec 19, 2016 1:05 pm
- Title: Sr. Process Engineer
- First name: KASHIF
- Last name: NASEEM
- Department: Process Engineering
- Company: SABIC Agri-Nutrients Company
- Country: Saudi Arabia
- Urea Plant Technology: Snamprogetti, Stamicarbon & TEC
- Years in operation: 5
- Design Capacity [mtpd]: 3250
- Actual Capacity [mtpd]: 3600
- Final product: Granules
- Location: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
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Re: Incident 02-001 Casualties during prill tower cleaning
Unread post by naseemce »
Dear,
Is any one find the solution to avoid the lump falling from prilling tower roof?
Any lump catcher installed in tower and what is cleaning frequency of lumps from catcher if applied.
Is any one find the solution to avoid the lump falling from prilling tower roof?
Any lump catcher installed in tower and what is cleaning frequency of lumps from catcher if applied.
- pbaboo
- Experienced
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- Joined: Fri Aug 08, 2014 2:46 pm
- Title: Mr.
- First name: Prem
- Last name: Baboo
- Department: Production & Process
- Company: National Fert and Dangote Fert
- Country: India
- Urea Plant Technology: M/S. saipem Process
- Years in operation: 36
- Design Capacity [mtpd]: 3850 X2
- Final product: Granules
- Location: 37A/533, Madhu Nagar, Agra-282001 , India
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Re: Incident 02-001 Casualties during prill tower cleaning
Unread post by pbaboo »
Before taking any job on scrapper floor/scrapper cleaning the lumps must be removed on surrounding of prilling bucket. Make sure there are No lumps surrounding prilling bucket OR any ceiling area.
How to avoid lumps formation surrounding the prilling bucket
1. Avoid overflowing of prilling bucket.
2. Cleaning of bucket to be done timely.
3. Temperature of urea melt should not be high.
The prilling bucket surrounding lumps may be removed by steaming as attached figure. This equipment easily make in workshop by molding ½ OR ¾ inch CS pipe one end is attached with flexible steam hose and other end make jet for removing lumps.
Removed the Prilling bucket and introduced this Z shape pipe two person are required for hold up and start cleaning with steam. This practice already in Process at NFL Vijaipur Line -1 And 2.
Regards,
How to avoid lumps formation surrounding the prilling bucket
1. Avoid overflowing of prilling bucket.
2. Cleaning of bucket to be done timely.
3. Temperature of urea melt should not be high.
The prilling bucket surrounding lumps may be removed by steaming as attached figure. This equipment easily make in workshop by molding ½ OR ¾ inch CS pipe one end is attached with flexible steam hose and other end make jet for removing lumps.
Removed the Prilling bucket and introduced this Z shape pipe two person are required for hold up and start cleaning with steam. This practice already in Process at NFL Vijaipur Line -1 And 2.
Regards,
- ATTACHMENTS
Prem Baboo[/b}
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