Chemical Process Safety
052:187
Spring 2005, 3 s.h.
Tonya Peeples

Course Description
This course is designed to introduce students to issues relevant to chemical process safety in order to prepare them for future industrial employment.

Teaching Assistants

Sandra Tofteland (G138 SC; stoftela@engineering.uiowa.edu)
Office Hrs: Thursdays 9:30-10:30 AM

Stephanie Winter (G138 SC; swinter@engineering.uiowa.edu)
Office Hrs: Wednesdays 3:45 -4:45 PM

Course Timeline

Assigned Readings
"Chemical Process Safety: Fundamentals with Applications", 2nd ed., Crowl and Louvar, 2002, Prentice Hall.

Supplemental Resources
The course will be supplemented with other material, including videotapes, problems, and slide packages, from the AIChE CCPS.

Course Bibliography
Looking for More Resources? Visit the Course WebCT site (see the link to the left).

Homework and Quizzes
There will be weekly homework assignments. These assignments will usually be due on Fridays. Homeworek should be handed in at the beginning of the period it is due. Late homework will not be accepted. You are also encouraged to work together on homework assignments; individual solutions must be handed in, however.

A total of 12 quizzes (15-20 minutes) covering material included in the homework handed in that day will be given on Fridays throughout the semester. Only the top 10 scores will count towards the student’s final grade. There will be no make-ups for missed quizzes.

Topical Papers
Each of these papers (“opinion pieces”) should be 500-1000 words in length (~1-2 single-spaced pages) and written for a general audience. Topics include 1) "Is a hydrogen economy practical?" 2) "OSHA Significance and status" and 3) "Protecting Chemical Plants from terrorists"

Group Project/Presentation
Each group is expected to analyze the process of manufacturing the specific chemical assigned to your group, with a special emphasis on safety issues. In addition, each group will be expected to give a Powerpoint presentation the last week of class.

Laboratory Schedule (The Chemical Process Safety Lab is 3244 SC.)
Experiment 1 Flammability Limits/Flash Points -- Feb. 7-11
Experiment 2 Electrostatics -- Feb 28 - March 4
Experiment 3 Explosions/Relief Design -- Feb 28 - March 4
Experiment 4 Runaway Reactions/Relief Design -- April 25-29

Examination Schedule
Midterm Exam (covering lecture material from Jan. 19-March 4) -- March 9 @ 7 p.m. room TBA
Final Exam (covering all course material) -- May 11 @ 12:00 p.m. 3321 SC
Exams will be a combination of open and closed book. No excuses for missed exams will be accepted other than certified medical excuses. If you cannot take the exam at the scheduled time, then contact Professor Peeples at least one week prior to that date so that an alternative exam time can be scheduled.

Course Information

Goals and Objectives By the end of the course, the student will be able to discuss toxicology, industrial hygiene, source models, dispersion models, flammability, reactivity, fires and fire prevention, explosions and explosion prevention, electrostatics, pressure relief systems, runaway reactions, and risk analysis as they apply to chemical process safety, and be able to solve corresponding problems. By the end of the course, the student will be able to discuss the nature of the accident process and methods used in accident investigation, inherently safer design strategies, HAZOP analysis, and the various strategies and governmental regulations relevant to process safety management. By the end of the course, the student will be able to collect and analyze data for determining flash points, flammability limits, runaway reaction potential, designing pressure relief systems, and for characterizing dust explosions and electrostatic charge accumulation and discharge. By the end of the course, the student will have had opportunities to further his/her professional development through working on group assignments, studying professional ethics, and practicing written, oral, and graphical communication skills. Course Format This course will include lectures, homework, quizzes, lab experiments, a group safety project, and topical papers. There will be a mid term exam and a final exam Grade Composition HW - 9% Quizzes - 22% Lab Reports - 17% Mid Term Exam - 9% Final Exam - 17% Safety Project/Pres - 13% Topical Papers- 13%

Course Policies

Evaluation of Student Performance/Course Requirements Make-up Exams Attendance Cross Enrollments Complaints Accomodation of Students with Disabilities Sexual Harassment

Evaluation of Student Performance/Course Requirements
Student achievement will be assessed through participation in class projects and discussions and performance on homework, quizzes, exams, lab reports and topical papers. The safety project will include oral presentations and written reports. Letter grades will be assigned on a curve. However, there will be a "gray area" between each two letter grades in the final distribution, so that two people getting the same weighted average grade could get different letter grades. If you are in one of these gray areas, whether you get the higher or lower grade depends on two factors: (i) your performance on the homework and (ii) whether your quiz and homework performance has been improving (your grade goes up) or declining (your grade goes down).

Policy on Make-up Exams
A student may request to turn in an assignment late in the case of an illness or unavoidable situation. Students should get prior approval from the instructor to reschedule the assignment if there is a professional schedule conflict.

Attendance Policy
Since class participation is important for evaluating student performance, attendance is strongly encouraged.

Policy on Cross Enrollments
This course is given by the College of Engineering. This means that class policies on matters such as requirements, grading, and sanctions for academic dishonesty are governed by the College of Engineering. Students wishing to add or drop this course after the official deadline must receive the approval of the Dean of the College of Engineering. Details of the University policy of cross enrollments may be found at: http://www.uiowa.edu/~provost/deos/crossenroll.doc.

Complaint Policy
If you feel that I have treated you unfairly or acted unprofessionally or otherwise failed to meet my responsibilities as an instructor, please bring the matter to my attention so that we can work together to resolve the problem. If you remain unsatisfied you may contact (choose one) the chair of my department, [John Wiencek, 335-1400]. If your concerns have still not been resolved at that point, you may submit a written complaint to the Associate Dean for Academic Programs, 120 Schaeffer Hall (335-2633) (for undergraduates), the Graduate College, 205 Gilmore Hall, 335-2137 (for graduate students).

Policy on Accomodation of Students with Disabilities
I would like to hear from anyone who has a disability which may require some modification of seating, testing, or other class requirements so that appropriate arrangements may be made. Please talk with me after class or during my office hours.

Policy on Sexual Harrassment
Sexual harassment is illegal and will not be tolerated. The course will follow guidelines set forth in Univerisity of Iowa policies.