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Chemical Engineering vocabulary · Process Safety and Hazards

HAZOP

Meaning in chemical engineering, with examples

/ˈhæzɑːp/abbreviationCore term

In chemical engineering, HAZOP means: Short for hazard and operability study: a structured team review of a P&ID, section by section, using guide words to find deviations that could cause harm or operating problems.

In Turkish: tehlike ve işletilebilirlik çalışması, HAZOP

How it is used

Run in design projects and before major changes. A facilitator leads the team through 'nodes' and guide words such as no, more, less and reverse, applied to flow, pressure or temperature. The team records causes, consequences, safeguards and actions.

Example sentences

  1. The HAZOP team found that reverse flow from the reactor could reach the feed tank.

  2. All HAZOP actions must be closed out before start-up.

Common collocations

  • HAZOP study
  • HAZOP node
  • HAZOP action
  • guide word
  • HAZOP facilitator
  • P&IDShort for piping and instrumentation diagram: a detailed drawing of every pipe, valve, instrument, control loop and safety device in a unit.
  • hazardAnything that could cause harm to people, the plant or the environment, such as a flammable gas, a toxic liquid, high pressure or a hot surface.
  • interlockAn automatic protective function that stops or prevents an action when a dangerous condition is detected, for example closing the feed valve on high reactor pressure.
  • relief valveA spring-loaded valve that opens by itself when the pressure in a vessel or pipe goes above a set limit, releasing fluid to protect the equipment from bursting.

More terms: Process Safety and Hazards

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