Quantitative risk assessment for accidental release of titanium tetrachloride in a titanium sponge production plant

This paper outlines the quantitative risk assessment for storage and purification section of a titanium sponge production facility. Based on qualitative HAZAN technique, which involves a detailed FETI and HAZOP study of the entire plant, the storage and the purification section were found to be the most hazardous sections. Titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4) is the major reactant used in this plant. TiCl4 is a toxic, corrosive water reactive chemical and on spillage from containment creates a liquid pool that can either boil or evaporate leading to the evolution of toxic hydrogen chloride (HCl). Fault tree analysis technique has been used to identify the basic events responsible for the top event occurrence and calculate their probabilities. Consequence analysis of the probable scenarios has been carried out and the risk has been estimated in terms of fatality and injuries. These results form the basic inputs for the risk management decisions. (C) 2003 Published by Elsevier B.V.