BOOK REVIEW
Book Review
Guidelines for Engineering Design for Process
Safety, 2nd Edition (2012)
By CCPS, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, NJ, 440 pages, $125.00, ISBN-13:978-0-470-76772-6
Reviewed by: Stanley S. Grossel, Process Safety & Design Consultant, Clifton, NJ
Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com). DOI 10.1002/prs.11501
This second edition is a combination of the first edition of
the book, and the CCPS book Guidelines for Design Solutions
for Process Equipment Failures. The first edition of the book
has been updated and expanded, and Chapter 6 contains
updated equipment failure tables from the Design Solutions
book. This second edition has been reformatted to contain
the following chapters: Introduction, Foundational Concepts,
Basic Physical Properties/Thermal Stability Data, Analysis
Techniques, General Design, Equipment Design, Protection
Layers, Documentation to Support Process Safety. The book
also has a list of acronyms and abbreviations, glossary, and
good index.
Chapter 1 (Introduction) has the following sections: Engi-
neering Design for Process Safety Through the Life Cycle of
the Facility, Regulatory Review/Impact on Process Safety,
Who Will Benefit from These Guidelines, Organization of this
Book, and Other CCPS References. In Chapter 2 on Founda-
tional Concepts, the book presents an overview of under-
standing hazards and risk-based design. Table 2-1 identifies
the topics discussed in this chapter, where the reader can
find more information on a specific topic found in other
chapters of the book, and also where detailed information
may be found in other sources. This chapter has the follow-
ing sections: Understanding the Hazard (dangerous proper-
ties of process materials, process conditions, and inventory),
Risk-based Design (the concept of risk and selection of the
design bases for process safety systems), Inherently Unsteady
State Condition Evaluation (batch reaction systems), Uninten-
tional Unsteady State Issues (runaway reactions and devia-
tions from the design intent), and Non-Linearity of the
Design Process. This chapter discusses many topics not cov-
ered in the first edition.
Chapter 3 discusses basic physical properties and thermal
stability data that affect the safety of storage, handling, and
processing of chemicals and their use in a chemical process.
The data base compiled by DIPPR is cited as the world’s best
source for critically evaluated thermophysical and environ-
mental property data. Then, various flammability properties
are succinctly discussed (flash point, fire point, autoignition
temperature, limiting oxygen concentration, dust deflagration
index (KSt), and gas deflagration index (Kg), followed by a
discussion of reactivity/thermal stability data (chemical reac-
tivity, detonations and deflagrations, runaway reactions, calo-
Ó 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers
Process Safety Progress (Vol.000, No.000)
rimetric data, interaction matrix, and testing methods). For a
fuller discussion of detonations and deflagrations, the first
edition of this book should be consulted. Table 3-3 is a use-
ful compilation of government and other toxicity databases.
Hazard analysis techniques are discussed in very good detail
in Chapter 4. This was not discussed much in the first edition
of the book. The sections in this chapter cover the following
topics: Hazard Identification (process hazards, chemical/ma-
terial hazards, and human impact data), Hazard Analysis
Techniques [a life cycle approach, qualitative (e.g, checklist,
HAZOP, etc.), semi-quantitative (e.g., layer of protection
analysis, failure modes, and effects analysis), quantitative
(e.g., fault tree and event tree), human factors (e.g., critical
task analysis and human reliability analysis), and selecting
the appropriate technique, Risk Assessment (technical aspects
of QRA, risk criteria, quantitative risk assessment, and risk
tolerance/decision making criteria), and Reliability/Maintain-
ability Analysis. This chapter has many useful tables.
Chapter 5, General Design, covers the following topics dis-
cussed in the first edition (Plant Design, Inherently Safer
Plant, Materials Selection, Process Monitoring and Control,
and Thermal Insulation). They have been updated and
revised. In addition, the chapter contains new sections on
Safeguarding Strategies, Process Design/Process Chemistry,
Human Factors in Design, and Site Security Issues. Design
considerations for many types of process equipment are pre-
sented in Chapter 6. All of the types of process equipment
discussed in the first edition are covered, as well as piping
and piping components (Chapter 6 in the first edition). How-
ever, the topic of activated carbon adsorbers is not included
in this edition. I do not know why these have been omitted
since they are widely used in the CPI as pollution control
devices and for solvent recovery, and they have experienced
many fires and explosions. Table 4-4 in the first edition is a
very useful checklist for the design and operation of activated
carbon adsorbers. This is an excellent chapter containing
much updated and expanded practical design information.
Each section presents the information in the same useful for-
mat: past incidents, failure scenarios and design solutions
(from the Design Solutions book as well as new ones), and
design considerations. The reader is also advised to consult
Chapter 4 in the first edition, which contains additional infor-
mation not included in this chapter in the second edition.
Chapter 7, Protection Layers, is a good discussion of vari-
ous types of equipment and procedures for providing protec-
tion against fires and explosions. This chapter discusses the
Month 2012 1
following topics: Ignition Control, Instrumented Safety
Systems, Pressure/Vacuum Relief Systems, Explosion Isola-
tion/Blowdown, Effluent Disposal Systems (flares, blowdown
systems, incineration systems, and vapor control systems),
Emergency Response Alarm Systems, Fire Protection, Defla-
gration/Detonation Arresters, Explosion Suppression, Specific
Mitigation Systems (water/steam curtains, steam snuffing, me-
chanical interlocks, inhibitor injection, quench system, and
dump system), and Effluent Handling/Post-Release Mitiga-
tion/Waste Treatment Issues. Under Effluent Disposal Sys-
tems, thermal oxidizers are briefly discussed. These vapor
control devices are also widely used in the CPI as final pollu-
tion control equipment. For those readers who are interested
in learning more about thermal oxidizer hazards and their
control, the following article is recommended: ‘‘Thermal
Oxidiser Fire & Explosion Hazards’’ by M. I. Issa and T.
Ennis, IChemE Sympos. Series No. 148, pp. 703–716 (2001).
The book’s final chapter deals with Documentation to
Support Process Safety, and discusses the following topics:
Process Knowledge Management (importance of process
knowledge management, types of process knowledge and
information documentation, design basis, managing change,
2 Month 2012 Published on behalf of the AIChE
and other considerations), Engineering Design Package,
Operating/Maintenance Procedures, and Asset Integrity/
Reliability/Predictive Maintenance Data.
In my opinion, the contractor for this book (Aon Energy
Risk Engineering) and the CCPS subcommittee responsible
for this book have produced an excellent updated and
expanded revision to the first edition, published in 1993. I
felt that there are some minor shortcomings, but these do
not detract from the outstanding result. This book focuses on
engineering design practices to reduce risk due to process
hazards by discussing how to select designs that can prevent
or mitigate the release of flammable or toxic materials, which
could lead to a fire, explosion, environmental damage, or
health hazards to plant personnel and people in adjacent
areas to the plant. Each chapter contains extensive references
to related publications, and topic-specific information, as
well as many useful tables.
I highly recommend it to process design engineers, pro-
ject engineers, facility operators, and process safety/loss pre-
vention specialists who will find it very useful. The first edi-
tion of this book contains very useful additional material not
included in this revision.
DOI 10.1002/prs Process Safety Progress (Vol.00, No.00)