MISSION
FIORDA is the Fertilizer Industry Operational Risk Database, a database for fertilizer manufacturers developed by an independent group of engineers and members of AmmoniaKnowHow.com and UreaKnowHow.com.
FIORDA mission is to improve safety and reliability performance of fertilizer plants by collecting and exchanging process safety data among the participating companies and acting as focal point for co-ordination and management of process safety data collection within the fertilizer industry.
FIORDA has developed a structured database extracting data from process safety incidents, lesson learned, members projects experience covering a variety of geographic areas, plants, equipment types and operating conditions.
The FIORDA data are stored in a database available for our member companies and contractors working on their behalf. (Specialised FIORDA software has been developed to collect, retrieve and analyse the information.)
NEED
The necessity of such information database comes from three basic needs:
- Safety in operation
- Plant integrity
- Production availability
Ensuring high level of process safety knowledge and understanding is paramount to safe and reliable operations in fertilizer industry. FIORDA has collected data to determine the causes, the consequence, the type and level of risk, and the likelihood of such failures. Recommendations for each case are provided to help operators to better understand the path to secure a safe and reliable operation. A query among the fertilizer companies shows that the need for such data is high. Fertilizer manufacturers are operating today in a very competitive environment.
FIORDA helps operators to better understand the risks within their plants by providing examples from various case studies and reduce operational costs through the application of process know-how and process safety data.
Generally, process safety is associated with engineering design studies. However, in the last decade such data have been given increased attention for use also in the operating phase.
With thousands of lessons learned, cases and examples thoroughly documented FIORDA database is the tool of choice for fertilizer manufacturer willing to be up to date and compliance with EU and international legislation.
The data are collected from various facilities worldwide. The databank also includes revamp projects experience documented in risk registers. Only the FIORDA member companies have access to the computerised database with its comprehensive search and analysis software. Temporary access may be given to contractors working for the FIORDA member companies.
DATABASE STRUCTURE
| No. | Date | Code | Plant | Plant section | Main Equipment | Sub-Main Equipment | Operation phase (during event) | Operating parameters (during event) | Medium | Risk category | Hazard type | Failure Cause | Failure Mode | Hours of operation | No of failures last 6 months | No of failures last 12 months | No of failures last 24 months | Deviation type | Main Consequence | Event description | Immediate response action | Consequence | Comments | Risk Ranking | Prevention Safeguards | Mitigation Safeguards | Corrective Recommendation | Lesson Learned |
|---|
The data are recorded per owner and installation. Each individual event (e.g. a gas leak) occupies a single inventory record in the database. This record contains a technical description (e.g. event description, cause and consequence description) plus operating conditions. Each process safety event is identified by item code, date of event, plant section, main equipment, medium type, risk category, hazard type, failure cause, failure mode, deviation type and main consequence.
Additional information is also provided (e.g. existing safeguards, prevention and mitigation solutions, corrective actions taken to prevent the event to occur in the future).
CONFIDENTIALITY
To secure confidentiality FIORDA member companies and their location are anonymous. Shared information is de-identified at the member company end and FIORDA receive only minimum data required for upload. No association with plant technology, location, or proprietary equipment are deemed to be made. Memorandum of understanding and confidentiality agreements are used to endorse the relation between FIORDA and its members.
FIORDA member companies share only a limited amount of data required by the membership status. It is at members discretion what type of process safety events are willing to share: near misses, process upset and plant trips, loss of containment, fire and explosion etc.
BENEFITS of sharing information
- Identification of emerging safety issues trend
- Assess effectiveness of corrective actions
- Identify other similar problems
- Alerting operators to the occurrence of safety events
- Facilitate obtaining information on those problems
- Comparing the experience from different operators such as frequency of an event or severity of the outcome
- Corrective actions developed by other operators may be less costly than those tried in the absence of this information
F I O R D A
operational knowledge and lesson learnt
- FIORDA members provide de-identified safety operational data (anonymously),
- FIORDA team review data quality and upload information into database,
- A monthly bulletin is issued to FIORDA members informing about new uploaded data and existing recommendations for similar issues,
- All FIORDA members have unrestricted access to FIORDA risk registers database.
- Member companies can submit TQs (Technical Queries) for a specific issue to FIORDA team of advisors.
- FIORDA team evaluates the TQ and provides either an answer or a budget cost estimate for a detailed technical answer.
PROCEDURES AND GUIDELINES DEVELOPMENT
FIORDA technical team is already involved and can provide services supporting fertilizer manufacturers to develop dedicated guidelines and procedures based on their technology covering engineering for internal projects / revamps, operation, process safety and maintenance.
Lesson learnt from FIORDA database are incorporated in the guidelines with the purpose to reduce the probability of unwanted events and increase safety and reliability in operations.
A complete list of guidelines and procedures developed by us can be viewed here.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
- Applicant to contact either Dan Cojocaru – dan.cojocaru@ammoniaknowhow.com or Mark Brouwer – mark.brouwer@ureaknowhow.com to present company profile, operating activities and ability to collect process safety data
- FIORDA team will check applicant’s relevance, type and quality of process safety data
- Applicant to agree with FIORDA terms and conditions as member
- FIORDA to accept applicant as new member company and sign membership contract.
FIORDA has analyzed and collected data from various plants and project phases. A significant amount of data is collected from technical papers published since beginning of the 1960’s. Data from each phase are contained in a database that the member companies have access to. Non-FIORDA members may get access to this database when doing contract work for any of these member companies. A non-FIORDA company must submit an invitation letter from a FIORDA member company to get access to FIORDA database.
The data are recorded per owner and installation.
Each individual event (e.g. a gas leak) occupies a single inventory record in the database.
This record contains a technical description (e.g. event description, cause and consequence description) plus operating conditions. Each process safety event is identified by item code, date of event, plant section, main equipment, medium type, risk category, hazard type, failure cause, failure mode, deviation type and main consequence.
Additional information is also provided (e.g. existing safeguards, prevention and mitigation solutions, corrective actions taken to prevent the event to occur in the future).
FIORDA has focused on ammonia and urea plants and technology. With the number of members increasing further technologies will be included: nitric acid, ammonium nitrate, methanol, NPK, melamine, etc.
For projects, we focus from the early stages of design, from concept and feasibility studies to FEED, detailed design, commissioning, operational and maintenance.
Each company has the responsibility to collect the data by using own resources. The data collection is planned and coordinated by the FIORDA project manager. Comprehensive guidelines and software tools for this data collection have been developed.
Process safety data are used for analysis within the following areas.
- Development of operating procedures and manuals
- Development of job safety analysis (JSA) Procedures
- Lessons Learnt for operators
- Hazard Identification Studies (HAZID)
- Hazard and Operability Studies (HAZOP)
- Layer of Protection Analysis Studies (LOPA)
- Fire and Explosion Analysis (FEA)
- Emergency Systems Survivability Analysis (ESSA)
- As Low As Reasonably Practicable (ALARP) Demonstration
- Risk Assessments
- Quantitative Risk Analysis (QRA)
- Business vulnerability and cost benefit analysis
- Reliability, Availability & Maintainability (RAM) Studies
- Plant benchmarking.
A comprehensive software package has been developed for the storing, handling and analysis of the data. New process safety data can easily be included via a separate configuration module. In addition to extensive filters and searching facilities, a variety of reports are included.
All FIORDA member companies receive the software as part of the membership program. Based on a cloud platform the software can be used between multiple facilities around the world. For info on terms and conditions contact Dan Cojocaru – dan.cojocaru@ammoniaknowhow.com.
The software has been continuously improved and is also made available for public sale for non-FIORDA members. No access to FIORDA data is provided for non-FIORDA members as part of the software purchase.
FIORDA is a project for fertilizer industry only. Any fertilizer manufacturer that operates nitrogen fertilizer technology plants can become an FIORDA member. The basic contribution is (1) process safety data and (2) common project funding.
The fee will normally consist of both data and cash. Further, each member company is expected to contribute with process safety data from their operations. The data should have a minimum quality as to informative value.
The membership fee depends on the amount and quality of safety and reliability data contributed by the member company. On request we can also include a certain service package in the membership fee.
TECHNOLOGY
Software: Purpose made FIORDA software (HAZARDO®) has been developed to handle data collection and risk assessment analysis.
The HAZARDO® concept is flexible and can be configured to user defined applications. The HAZARDO® includes features for advanced data search and selection, and commonly used risk assessment analyses and action tracking functionalities.
All FIORDA member companies are eligible to receive HAZARDO® software free of charge. Terms and conditions apply.
CONTACT FIORDA TEAM
FIORDA
Fertilizer Industrial Services Ltd
Venture House, Arlington Square,
Downshire Way, Bracknell,
RG12 1WA,
United Kingdom
Phone: +44(0)7494.783.534
Email: contact@fiorda.eu