Chemical Process Safety: Fundamentals with Applications

by Daniel Crowl, Joseph Louvar, Hunter Flodman, Tracy Carter

Overview

• Combines academic theory with practical industry experience
• Updated to include the latest regulations and references
• Covers hazard identification, risk assessment, and inherent safety
• Case studies and problem sets enhance learning

Long-awaited revision of the industry best seller.

This fully revised second edition of Chemical Process Safety: Fundamentals with Applications combines rigorous academic methods with real-life industrial experience to create a unique resource for students and professionals alike.

The primary focus on technical fundamentals of chemical process safety provides a solid groundwork for understanding, with full coverage of both prevention and mitigation measures. Subjects include:

• Toxicology and industrial hygiene
• Vapor and liquid releases and dispersion modeling
• Flammability characterization
• Relief and explosion venting

In addition to an overview of government regulations, the book introduces the resources of the AICHE Center for Chemical Process Safety library. Guidelines are offered for hazard identification and risk assessment. The book concludes with case histories drawn directly from the authors' experience in the field.

A perfect reference for industry professionals, Chemical Process Safety: Fundamentals with Applications, Second Edition is also ideal for teaching at the graduate and senior undergraduate levels. Each chapter includes 30 problems, and a solutions manual is now available for instructors.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780135319086
Publisher:	Pearson Education
Publication date:	11/25/2025
Series:	International Series in the Physical and Chemical Engineering Sciences
Edition description:	5th ed.
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 1.25(h) x 9.00(d)

About the Author

Daniel A. Crowl is the Herbert H. Dow Professor for Chemical Process Safety at Michigan Technological University. Professor Crowl received his B.S. in fuel science from Pennsylvania State University and his M.S. and Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Illinois. He is coauthor of the textbook Chemical Process Safety: Fundamentals with Applications, published by Pearson. He is also author/editor of several AIChE books on process safety and editor of the safety section in the eighth edition of Perry’s Chemical Engineer’s Handbook. Professor Crowl has won numerous awards, including the Bill Doyle award from AIChE, the Chemical Health and Safety Award from ACS, the Walton/Miller award from the Safety and Health Division of AIChE, and the Gary Leach Award from the AIChE Board. Professor Crowl is a Fellow of AIChE, ACS Safety and Health Division, and CCPS.

Joseph F. Louvar has a B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in chemical engineering. He is currently a professor at Wayne State University after having retired from the BASF Corporation. While working at the BASF Corporation, he was a director of BASF’s chemical engineering department; his responsibilities included the production of specialty chemicals, and he managed the implementation and maintenance of five processes that handled highly hazardous chemicals that were covered by Process Safety Management. As a professor at Wayne State University, he teaches chemical process safety, risk assessment, and process design. Professor Louvar is the author of many safety-related publications and the coauthor of two books, Chemical Process Safety: Fundamentals with Applications and Health and Environmental Risk Analysis: Fundamentals with Applications, both published by Pearson. Professor Louvar has been the chair of the Loss Prevention Committee and the Safety and Health Division. He is the CCPS staff consultant for the Undergraduate Education Committee, commonly known as the Safety and Chemical Engineering Education Committee (SAChE), and he is the coeditor of AIChE’s journal for process safety, Process Safety Progress.

Read an Excerpt

Preface

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 ofproblem 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 hope that this textbook helps prevent chemical plant and university accidents and contributes to a much safer future.

Daniel A. Crowl and Joseph F. Louvar

Table of Contents

(NOTE: Each chapter concludes with a Suggested Reading and Problems.)
Preface.
Nomenclature.
1. Introduction.

Safety Programs. Engineering Ethics. Accident and Loss Statistics. Acceptable Risk. Public Perceptions. The Nature of the Accident Process. Inherent Safety. Four Significant Disasters.

2. Toxicology.

How Toxicants Enter Biological Organisms. How Toxicants Are Eliminated from Biological Organisms. Effects of Toxicants on Biological Organisms. Toxicological Studies. Dose versus Response. Models for Dose and Response Curves. Relative Toxicity. Threshold Limit Values.

3. Industrial Hygiene.

Government Regulations. Industrial Hygiene: Identification. Industrial Hygiene: Evaluation. Industrial Hygiene: Control.

4. Source Models.

Introduction to Source Models. Flow of Liquid through a Hole. Flow of Liquid through a Hole in a Tank. Flow of Liquids through Pipes. Flow of Vapor through Holes. Flow of Gases through Pipes. Flashing Liquids. Liquid Pool Evaporation or Boiling. Realistic and Worst-Case Releases. Conservative Analysis.

5. Toxic Release and Dispersion Models.

Parameters Affecting Dispersion. Neutrally Buoyant Dispersion Models. Dense Gas Dispersion. Toxic Effect Criteria. Effect of Release Momentum and Buoyancy. Release Mitigation.

6. Fires and Explosions.

The FireTriangle. Distinction between Fires and Explosions. Definitions. Flammability Characteristics of Liquids and Vapors. Limiting Oxygen Concentration and Inerting. Flammability Diagram. Ignition Energy. Autoignition. Auto-Oxidation. Adiabatic Compression. Ignition Sources. Sprays and Mists. Explosions.

7. Designs to Prevent Fires and Explosions.

Inerting. Static Electricity. Controlling Static Electricity. Explosion-Proof Equipment and Instruments. Ventilation. Sprinkler Systems. Miscellaneous Designs for Preventing Fires and Explosions.

8. Introduction to Reliefs.

Relief Concepts. Definitions. Location of Reliefs. Relief Types. Relief Scenarios. Data for Sizing Reliefs. Relief Systems.

9. Relief Sizing.

Conventional Spring-Operated Reliefs in Liquid Service. Conventional Spring-Operated Reliefs in Vapor or Gas Service. Rupture Disc Reliefs in Liquid Service. Rupture Disc Reliefs in Vapor or Gas Service. Two-Phase Flow during Runaway Reaction Relief. Deflagration Venting for Dust and Vapor Explosions. Venting for Fires External to Process Vessels. Reliefs for Thermal Expansion of Process Fluids.

10. Hazards Identification.

Process Hazards Checklists. Hazards Surveys. Hazards and Operability Studies. Safety Reviews. Other Methods.

11. Risk Assessment.

Review of Probability Theory. Event Trees. Fault Trees. QRA and LOPA.

12. Accident Investigations.

Learning from Accidents. Layered Investigations. Investigation Process. Investigation Summary. Aids for Diagnosis. Aids for Recommendations.

13. Case Histories.

Static Electricity. Chemical Reactivity. System Designs. Procedures. Conclusion.

Appendix A: Unit Conversion Constants.
Appendix B: Flammability Data for Selected Hydrocarbons.
Appendix C: Detailed Equations for Flammability Diagrams.
Appendix D: Formal Safety Review Report for Example 10-4.
Appendix E: Saturation Vapor Pressure Data.

Preface

Preface

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 setof 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 hope that this textbook helps prevent chemical plant and university accidents and contributes to a much safer future.

Daniel A. Crowl and Joseph F. Louvar

Editorial Reviews

A resource text including the principles, guidelines, and calculations necessary for the safe design and operation of chemical plants. Numerous worked-out examples and exercises illustrate the practical application of principles. The coverage includes: fires and explosions; vessel overpressure protection; hazards identification and risk assessment; source models; and dispersion modeling. For beginning and more advanced practicing engineers. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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