SAFETY PROBLEMS AND FAULT DETECTION IN PROCESS INDUSTRY

Drago Valh - Boris Tovornik - Zoran Vukič

   The present article integrates the demands for safe processing and fault detection techniques. The first part deals with safety of (chemical) process industry in general. Three main hazardous events with their causes and consequences are shortly described. The section points out the idea that safety analysis should predict parts of the process where early fault detection is indespensible. This is important to have the proper sensors installed. Early fault detection can improve the quality of production and increase the occupational and environmental safety through detecting the faults before they develop to a failure that might cause an accident with all its consequences such as material detriment, environmental damage or lose of human life. The second part briefly describes some analytical model-based fault detection techniques.

Keywords: process safety, fault detection, fault isolation, parameter estimation, state observers

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