Evaluation of Hazards and Operability Study for Optimization Operation of Industrial Processes

Nitrocellulose is a substance that ignites easily when exposed to a hot or humid environment. It is widely used in the military as well as civil industries, most notably the production of explosives and films. Therefore, it was selected as a case study in order to assess the risks in the seven production stages using HAZOP (Hazards and Operability) technology. In this study, the raw material preparation stage investigated. This stage was divided into five identified nodes. The deviation from the design intention for 16 critical parameters for this process was studied.The findings of the study were as follow: Nitric acid and sulfuric acid are stored for a long time under process shutdown resulting in the corrosion of the tank and acids decomposition, Acids measurement depend on operator competence in the process of preparation of the acid mixture, which leads to inappropriate operating conditions, the temperature of the acid mixture increases due to endothermic mixing process resulting in decomposition of the mixture, in the process of feeding RC to the reactor, the flow increases due to the increase in the speed of the belt affecting the degree of nitration. Recommendations are; It should not be turned off until the end of the acids, thermoneutral process was wanted and Adjust the RC flow speed every 10 operations.