I thought I knew a lot about chemical engineering and chemical plant design until I saw this episode of 24. Now I know I've been doing it all wrong when a chemical plant storage tank with toxic chemicals almost exploded because of terrorists.
1. When I design my Distributed control, system (DCS) I should have it accessible to the internet and be protected by the government designed firewall that protects every other chemical plant computer system in the country. Yay for socialist chemical engineering.
2. I should place my critical safety control systems on the very system which is accessible to the internet.
3. Screw ASME code, I don't need any mechanical safety relief valves, rupture disk/pins, or automatic shutoff valves, my DCS controlled systems are sufficient.
4. My atmospheric storage tank is actually rated to above 400 psig.
5. When a terrorists takes control of my DCS control system and prevents my control vales from working, the plant is screwed because I can't possibly shut down the pumps, valves, and lines feeding excess gas/liquids into my storage tank manually.
6. Nor can I pull the airline on the closed shut control vales so they go to their fail safe position. Even if I did pull them I designed my control valves to fail last/fail closed so they can't relieve any pressure.
7. No worker, foreman, engineer, or plant manager actually knows what any of the valves in the plant does, but an FBI agent certainly can read the schematics and explain everything to me.
8. If I do design some sort of manual release, it will only buy the tank a few minutes before it explodes. I should have the lines that release the toxic fumes release into the very room in which you open these emergency valves.
9. Only 1/8 of a turn is sufficient to open 10 inch plus manual valve.
10. When I enter the room which will be flooded by toxic gases my shitty escape respirator is sufficient. I don't have any need for a respirator with an independent oxygen supply.
11. Why worry? Jack Bauer will kick the terrorists asses and save the day before there is a mini Bhopal like disaster in the Midwest.
1. When I design my Distributed control, system (DCS) I should have it accessible to the internet and be protected by the government designed firewall that protects every other chemical plant computer system in the country. Yay for socialist chemical engineering.
2. I should place my critical safety control systems on the very system which is accessible to the internet.
3. Screw ASME code, I don't need any mechanical safety relief valves, rupture disk/pins, or automatic shutoff valves, my DCS controlled systems are sufficient.
4. My atmospheric storage tank is actually rated to above 400 psig.
5. When a terrorists takes control of my DCS control system and prevents my control vales from working, the plant is screwed because I can't possibly shut down the pumps, valves, and lines feeding excess gas/liquids into my storage tank manually.
6. Nor can I pull the airline on the closed shut control vales so they go to their fail safe position. Even if I did pull them I designed my control valves to fail last/fail closed so they can't relieve any pressure.
7. No worker, foreman, engineer, or plant manager actually knows what any of the valves in the plant does, but an FBI agent certainly can read the schematics and explain everything to me.
8. If I do design some sort of manual release, it will only buy the tank a few minutes before it explodes. I should have the lines that release the toxic fumes release into the very room in which you open these emergency valves.
9. Only 1/8 of a turn is sufficient to open 10 inch plus manual valve.
10. When I enter the room which will be flooded by toxic gases my shitty escape respirator is sufficient. I don't have any need for a respirator with an independent oxygen supply.
11. Why worry? Jack Bauer will kick the terrorists asses and save the day before there is a mini Bhopal like disaster in the Midwest.
