Explosion hazards in the process industries
Postgraduate course
- ECTS credits
- 10
- Teaching semesters
- Autumn
- Course code
- PTEK350
- Number of semesters
- 1
- Teaching language
- English, Norwegian if only Norwegian students attend
- Resources
- Schedule
Course description
Objectives and Content
Objective
The main objective of the course is to introduce the students to process safety, with particular emphasis on explosion hazards.
Content
Process safety is a discipline that emphasises prevention and mitigation of accidents in process plants or other systems in industry and society where loss of containment of flammable or toxic materials, fires, and explosions represent a hazard to people, property, and the environment. The course emphasises understanding of physical phenomena and lessons learnt from accidents.
Learning Outcomes
On completion of the course the student should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills, and general competence:
Knowledge
The student is able to:
- explain the chain of events in accidents involving loss of containment of flammable or toxic materials, fires, and explosions
- discuss classification of explosion phenomena based on the physical and chemical processes involved
- describe ignition and combustion phenomena in gases, mists, dust clouds, pyrotechnics, propellants, and condensed explosives
- explain methods for active and passive prevention and mitigation of explosions
- explain the principles for classification of hazardous areas
- explain the principles for design of electrical apparatuses for use in hazardous areas
- describe the chain of events and lessons learnt from selected accidents
Skills
The student is able to:
- identify hazards involving loss of containment of flammable or toxic materials, fires, and explosions for a given industrial facility
- discuss relevant means of explosion protection for a given industrial facility
- perform simple laboratory experiments involving gas and dust explosions
General competence
The student is able to:
- identify relevant explosions hazards for a given system
- propose suitable risk-reducing measures for a given system
- combine various principles for explosion protection for a given system
ECTS Credits
Level of Study
Semester of Instruction
Place of Instruction
Required Previous Knowledge
Recommended Previous Knowledge
Credit Reduction due to Course Overlap
Access to the Course
Teaching and learning methods
At least 10 sessions with group work and clarifying lectures, typically three hours per session.
Four mandatory laboratory exercises with mandatory written laboratory reports.
Compulsory Assignments and Attendance
It is mandatory to participate in at least seven of the ten group sessions. Participation is documented by the submission of the mandatory Individual Readiness Assurance Tests (iRAT) and Team Readiness Assurance Tests (tRAT) for portfolio assessments.
Mandatory laboratory exercises (4 out of 4) and approved laboratory reports (4 out of 4).
Approved mandatory activities are valid in two subsequent teaching semesters.
Forms of Assessment
Portfolio assessments and oral exam.
The total grade is calculated from:
- The average iRAT score from the seven group sessions with the highest score (20 %).
- The average tRAT score from the seven group sessions with the highest score (5 %).
- The oral exam (75 %).