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Standardizing production processes around the globe is Chevron Oronite's way of delivering world-class performance in safety and reliability. Officially called Production Process Standardization or PPS, this innovative and intense program aims to ensure the safety of the people in our plants and surrounding communities by integrating engineered safety procedures and designs with state of the art equipment that will help prevent the chance of catastrophic events ever developing.

Manufacturing the chemicals and compounds needed for today's fuel and lubricant additives requires working with dangerous materials. When proper safety procedures or designs are not followed, catastrophic events may happen.

"Committing ourselves to the highest levels of safety performance is our goal, and we will achieve it," said Toan Nguyen, Oronite's Process Improvement Leader.

The result of that commitment led to the PPS program and research to be conducted. One of the risks identified during the research process was the potential high-pressure release from reactor vessels, which can be hazardous to personnel and the surrounding community. Overseeing the design and implementation of a program to reduce this risk is Joong M. Yang, Oronite Senior Process Safety Engineer, who took the job in July 2007.

Joong worked for more than 20 years in the nuclear power industry and in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) nuclear facilities in regulatory compliance, fire protection, design and operations, and hazard and accident analysis. Joong has also developed and taught courses in safety analysis of DOE nuclear facilities. He has a Bachelors of Science in Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering from UC Berkeley.

Interdisciplinary Effort

Since taking the job much of Joong's time has been working with the research chemists, component experts, and plant technical personnel to improve the safety of our designs and procedures that will mitigate the threat of an unwanted release. Processing chemicals like phosphorus pentasulfide produces hydrogen sulfide as byproduct. Designing a treatment system to process toxic gases like hydrogen sulfide from normal operations and during upset conditions is Joong Yang's chief concern.

"We are evaluating the right solutions to mitigate the risk of pressure valve relief," Joong said. "It takes an interdisciplinary effort from the instrumentation and electrical engineers, process engineers and mechanical engineers. In addition, the research chemists also have to be involved in the design and implementation phases to address the safety concern completely."

Joong noted that Oronite senior managers, research chemists, plant managers, and engineers at the plants were very much aware of the risks related to the atmospheric relief and were actively seeking solutions when they brought him aboard last summer.

Working with plants around the world would be more challenging due to the differing cultures and languages. Joong said there was little resistance to bringing the needed changes because Oronite originated many of the processes that create some of the world's best lubricant additives. That meant the best people to consult for the new safety design and procedures were the same people who invented the process and who run the plants - Oronite personnel all.

Each Plant Is Unique

"All plants produce the lubricant and gasoline additives based on the same chemical processes developed in Oronite," said Joong. "But each plant is unique in design because of the time at which each plant was built. So it is important to apply the safety design concept to each plant to account for the uniqueness of each plant."

For example, the Maua, Oak Point and Singapore plants use a "batch" process to produce zinc dithiophosphate (ZnDTP). Gonfreville, however, uses a continuous production process of ZnDTP, which may require different solutions.

Where there were potential obstacles, Joong saw benefits. The best practice found at any plant may be applied around the globe. "The French regulatory authority is very prescriptive, and the Gonfreville plant has done some detailed evaluation of potential consequences of a release," Joong pointed out. "In this case, the cultural difference is beneficial because Oronite as a collective will benefit from that work."

Some Production Process Standardization improvements have already been implemented. In Singapore, for example, automated systems have replaced manual actions. Charging the phosphorus pentasulfide into the reactor vessel to make ZnDTP now is done remotely, minimizing potential human contact with the hazardous chemicals. That improves the inherent safety, which is our intent.

"In terms of accidents and mishaps, zero must be our goal," Joong said. "We raise the awareness of people to dangerous situations before they ever develop. We continually improve the engineered processes that make our plants world-class in safety, and educate people how to manage these improved systems. Working to ensure the safety and well-being of its workers and the surrounding communities remains at the forefront of Chevron Oronite."

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