Safety Engineering & Process Engineering

Ensuring high safety standards for employees and systems are now equal corporate goals. The GICON Department of Safety & Process Engineering offers competent support, which ranges from advice on special problems to comprehensive safety-related support for the entire planning process and also includes assessments by our experts.

The Process Engineering working group is organizationally assigned to the department. In addition to supporting services for the safety technology department, it offers consulting services from the actual status acquisition to the simulation of process engineering processes.

Processing of safety-related questions in connection with legal regulations (Major Accident Ordinance / 12th BImSchV, Industrial Safety Ordinance, Hazardous Substances Ordinance)

  • Concepts for preventing accidents, documents on the safety management system
  • Safety reports, safety-related considerations in the approval process
  • Alarm and hazard prevention plans (internal, external)
  • Moderation of hazard / risk analyzes (HAZOP, PAAG)
  • Risk assessments and explosion protection documents
  • Fire protection concepts, fire service plans

Consulting and engineering services for industrial plants and chemical processes

  • Process-technical actual status recording for the optimization of material and energy flows in existing plants
  • Accounting and design of technical equipment for industrial plants
  • Simulation of process engineering processes
  • Project-related creation of documents
  • Propagation considerations for material and heat releases

Special safety-related problems, also within the scope of safety-related tests according to § 29a / b of the Federal Immission Control Act (BImSchG)

  • Quantification of substance releases, outflow behavior of fluids
  • Propagation calculations for dangerous substances in case of disturbance-related release
  • Forecast of thermal radiation exposure and the maximum explosion pressure during fires and explosions
  • Assessment of critical chemical reaction processes (TRAS 410)
Which experts does GICON® have?

GICON® has several experts recognized according to § 29a BImSchG. Our experts have already prepared expert opinions on this topic for several municipalities and operators and thus in some cases made corresponding planning possible in the first place. In the end, not only the affected parties benefit, but also the local residents.

 

What does the Seveso III Directive regulate?

This is a directive of the European Parliament and the Council on the control of major accident hazards involving dangerous substances. Currently in force is the Seveso III Directive, which has been transposed into German law. Severe accidents on company premises usually have a massive impact on neighboring areas and their inhabitants. The aim of the Seveso III Directive is to prevent serious industrial accidents as far as possible or to limit or avoid these negative consequences as far as possible. In practical terms, this means that an "appropriate distance" must be maintained between operating areas and "objects worthy of protection" such as residential buildings or schools.

What does the KAS-18 guide regulate?

The KAS-18 guideline contains recommendations for distances between operational areas according to the Major Accidents Ordinance and areas requiring protection within the framework of urban land use planning. It is implemented in § 50 of the Federal Immission Control Act (BImSchG). It provides both the responsible authorities and affected companies with a set of instruments for determining appropriate distances.

In principle, two approaches are possible:

  • If no detailed knowledge of the hazardous substances is available, the determination of the required distances can only be made in a generalized manner based on the properties of the substances.
  • If detailed knowledge of the substances is available, specific scenarios can be considered and the distances adjusted accordingly.

The general determination does not take into account the specific handling of the substances and their actual quantity. Consequently, these distances are larger. This sometimes leads to considerable problems, especially in inner-city areas. If, on the other hand, knowledge of the substances is available, it is possible to quantify their effects (substance release, fire, explosion) in accident scenarios using recognized calculation models and to compare the results with assessment values. In many cases, this makes it possible to significantly reduce the otherwise general distances, which facilitates urban land-use planning, especially in urban locations. In this way, GICON® has, among other things, brought a complete chemical plant for Schill + Seilacher "Struktol" GmbH in an inner-city location to approval.

Our performance claim - A good solution for you!

Dipl.-Ing. Ralf Woiwode
P: +49 3494 667025-33
E: r.woiwode@gicon.de

References

Jahr Kunde Titel Kurzbeschreibung
2011 Nammo Buck GmbH Safety reports (1) Safety reports for two sites
since 2010 Various refineries HAZOP discussions (1) Facilitation of PAAG/HAZOP discussions for refinery facilities at multiple sites
2009 Vattenfall Europe Generation AG Safety assessment (2) Assessment of several safety reports
since 2008 WRG Wilhelmshavener Raffineriegesellschaft mbH Safety reports, safety assessment (1) Safety reports as part of the BImSch approval procedure, safety assessment of technical solutions, assessment of the restructuring of the plant fire department
2008 duisport GmbH (Duisburger Hafen), TOTAL Deutschland GmbH  Safety assessment (1) Safety assessment of the possible effects of an infrastructure expansion with regard to a tank farm
since 2007 VNG Verbundnetz Gas AG Explosion protection documents, risk assessments (1) Preparation of documents in accordance with the German Ordinance on Industrial Safety and Health at several sites
since 2006 PCK Raffinerie GmbH Safety reports (1) Updating of plant-related safety reports for several plants
since 2005 WACKER Chemie GmbH Safety reports, hazard assessments, fire protection concepts (1) Preparation of safety reports, moderation of hazard analyses, preparation of fire protection concepts for several plants
since 2004 Bilfinger Berger Explosion protection documents, risk assessments (1) Preparation of documents in accordance with the Ordinance on Industrial Safety and Health for soil water treatment plants at several sites
since 1999 Apogepha GmbH, AWD (jetzt arevipharma) GmbH, elbion GmbH Safety specialist, company representative (2) Performance of activities as inter-company safety specialist as well as company representative for fire protection
since 1999 Various comanies and authorities Certified expert activities (2) Execution of safety inspections and safety assessments according to § 29a BImSchG (Federal Immission Control Act)
      (1) Reference from GICON
(2) Employee reference