Crowl J., Louvar D. Chemical Process Safety: Fundamentals With Applications

2 ed. — Prentice Hall, 2002. — 650 p.
This second edition of Chemical Process Safety is designed to enhance the process of teaching and applying the fundamentals of chemical process safety. It is appropriate for an industrial reference, a senior-level undergraduate course, or a graduate course in chemical process safety. It can be used by anyone interested in improving chemical process safety, including chemical and mechanical engineers and chemists. More material is presented than can be accommodated in a 3-credit course, providing instructors with the opportunity to emphasize their topics of interest.The primary objective of this textbook is to encapsulate the important technical fundamentals of chemical process safety. The emphasis on the fundamentals will help the student and practicing scientist to understand the concepts and apply them accordingly. This application requires a significant quantity of fundamental knowledge and technology.The second edition has been rewritten to include new process safety technology and new references that have appeared since the first edition was published in 1990. It also includes our combined experiences of teaching process safety in both industry and academia during the past 10 years.Significant modifications were made to the following topics: dispersion modeling, source modeling, flammability characterization, explosion venting, fundamentals of electrostatics, and case histories. This new edition also includes selected materials from the latest AICHE Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS) books and is now an excellent introduction to the CCPS library.This second edition also includes more problems (now 30 per chapter). A complete set of problem solutions is available to instructors using the book in their curriculum. These changes fulfill the requests of many professors who have used this textbook.We continue to believe that a textbook on safety is possible only with both industrial and academic inputs. The industrial input ensures that the material is industrially relevant. The academic input ensures that the material is presented on a fundamental basis to help professors and students understand the concepts. Although the authors are (now) both from universities, one has over 30 years of relevant experience in industry (J. F. L.) and the other (D. A. C.) has accumulated significant industrial experience since the writing of the first edition.Since the first edition was published, many universities have developed courses or course content in chemical process safety. This new emphasis on process safety is the result of the positive influences from industry and the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). Based on faculty feedback, this textbook is an excellent application of the fundamental topics that are taught in the first three years of the undergraduate education.Although professors normally have little background in chemical process safety, they have found that the concepts in this text and the accompanying problems and solutions are easy to learn and teach. Professors have also found that industrial employees are enthusiastic and willing to give specific lectures on safety to enhance their courses.This textbook is designed for a dedicated course in chemical process safety. However, we continue to believe that chemical process safety should be part of every undergraduate and graduate course in chemistry and chemical and mechanical engineering, just as it is a part of all the industrial experiences. This text is an excellent reference for these courses. This textbook can also be used as a reference for a design course.Some will remark that our presentation is not complete or that some details are missing. The purpose of this book, however, is not to be complete but to provide a starting point for those who wish to learn about this important area. This book, for example, has a companion text titled Health and Environmental Risk Analysis that extends the topics relevant to risk analysis.We thank many of our friends who continue to teach us the fundamentals of chemical process safety. Those who have been especially helpful include G. Boicourt and J. Wehman of the BASF Corporation; W. Howard and S. Grossel, who have extensive industrial experience and are now consultants; B. Powers from Dow Chemical Company; D. Hendershot from Rohm and Haas; R. Welker of the University of Arkansas; R. Willey of Northeastern University; and R. Darby of Texas A&M University.We also continue to acknowledge and thank all the members of the Undergraduate Education Committee of the Center for Chemical Process Safety and the Safety and Loss Prevention Committee of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. We are honored to be members of both committees. The members of these committees are the experts in safety; their enthusiasm and knowledge have been truly educational and a key inspiration to the development of this text.Finally, we continue to acknowledge our families, who provided patience, understanding, and encouragement throughout the writing of the first and second editions.We hope that this textbook helps prevent chemical plant and university accidents and contributes to a much safer future.