Manufacturing Sector Safety

Gexcon understands that a key element of a safe manufacturing facility is assessing the hazards and potential risks associated with materials that are being used, stored, or handled during operations. Gases, vapours and dusts have the potential to expose the facility to explosion and fire hazards as well as risks to personnel and the environment.

Gexcon has a wealth of knowledge in the science of fires and explosions, which has been cultivated through years of conducting high-quality assessments and delivering invaluable process safety support to our clients. We have a dedicated team that is competent in performing a range of process safety-related studies. With each study, we aim to increase the awareness and understanding of process safety at our clients’ facilities, providing pragmatic recommendations, and working with them to achieve feasible solutions to manage process risk.

Process Hazard Analysis (PHA)

Most industries work with potentially hazardous materials, either they are in the form of gases, liquids, or dust. Knowing how these materials are potentially harmful, it is an obligation for companies working with such materials to identify and evaluate the dangers involved.

Regulatory Compliance

While the primary focus of any process safety plan should be to drive the risk to a level which is ‘As Low As Reasonably Practicable’ (ALARP) to protect people, the environment and business there are several regulatory requirements that must also be met to drive continual improvement.

Process Safety & Risk Management

Facilities, where complex industrial processes or hazardous materials such as flammable dust, gases, or liquids are involved, are always associated with hazards.

Modelling Studies

Companies handling flammable and/or toxic materials are exposed to hazards during storage, transporting, and processing. As such, it is crucial to understand the consequences of a potential loss of containment of a hazardous event when performing a risk assessment.

Expert Training

One of our core objectives is to improve the knowledge of others to ensure that lessons are learned from such incidents. Gexcon provides training across all levels to raise the competence of your staff from basic awareness training through to in-depth courses.

FLACS-CFD

Explosion & Dispersion Modelling Software. Our powerful industry-leading computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software simulates the dispersion of hazardous materials, fire and explosion with results that you can trust.

Shell FRED

FRED (Fire, Release, Explosion and Dispersion) is Shell’s consequence modelling tool, available exclusively through Gexcon.

Shell Shepherd

Shepherd is Shell’s quantitative risk analysis (QRA) tool, available exclusively through Gexcon.

FLACS-EFFECTS

A loss-of-containment scenario in the (petro)chemical industry can be devastating, for both property and human life. EFFECTS is easy-to-use, affordable software that helps safety professionals calculate and analyse the effects of these scenarios and develop the right prevention or containment protocols.

FLACS-RISKCURVES

Comprehensive quantitative risk analysis. The storage and transport of hazardous materials impose risks to the surrounding population and structures.

Shell PIPA

PIPA is Shell’s Pre-Incident Planning tool, available exclusively through Gexcon.

Hydrogen Safety Studies

Due to its flammability, buoyancy, its ability to embrittle metals, and other properties that require engineering control, designing a hydrogen system that ensures its safe use can be a challenging process. Awareness of hydrogen hazards is critical so that early precautions can be taken, such as designing a reliable hydrogen system.

Testing Facilities

Gexcon’s testing facilities are categorised according to the size of the testing: small, medium and large-scale testing facilities.

Testing of Passive Fire Protection

A fire accident in a workplace could potentially cause devastating losses. Loss of life, damage to the property and environmental harm as well as the financial cost can be extremely serious. Understanding how to avoid potential fire accidents and how to mitigate the consequences is essential.

Gas, Vapour and Liquid Explosion Properties Testing

The handling of gases, liquids and selected substances may constitute risks for explosions. Knowing the properties related to the risk of these materials, such as the ignition and explosion characteristics, is therefore essential. By being aware of the properties of materials handled in your plant or used in your products, it allows the necessary safety precautions to be taken to…

Explosion Mitigation System Testing

Gexcon’s testing sites in Norway are available for gas and dust explosion testing. These facilities are often used to test equipment designed to either withstand the impact of gas and/ or dust explosions or to protect against the consequences of such explosions.

Ignition Hazard Assessment for Mechanical Equipment and Protective Systems

A potentially explosive atmosphere exists when a mixture of air, gases, vapours, mists or dust combine in a way that can ignite under certain operating conditions. In this kind of atmosphere, special attention should be given to the equipment and protective systems that are being used for operational purposes as they might cause an explosion through friction, hot surfaces and…

Dust Explosion Properties Testing

Gexcon offers a wide range of standardised tests for the determination of the ignition and explosion properties of dusts. Being aware of the properties of materials handled in your plant or used in your products will allow you to take the necessary safety precautions and to prevent explosions and reduce the consequences. Gexcon performs tests to determine the explosion characteristics…

Testing for Obtaining Transportation Classification

During the transportation of certain materials, several hazardous situations can occur. One of them is gas development due to the fact that transported goods may come into contact with water. The gas developed in most cases is hydrogen, which is highly explosive when mixed with air. Toxic gases may also develop. Therefore, a test method has been developed and described…

FLACS-Frequency

A Web-Based Tool for Release Frequency Assessment. Accidental release of a flammable or toxic fluid is a key risk driver at many process facilities.

Research Projects

Gexcon has participated in various research projects throughout the years. Our expertise is particularly relevant in estimating and mitigating the consequences of major industrial accidents. Recent initiatives have focused on hazards associated with emerging technologies for conventional and renewable energy production, including hydrogen safety, biofuels, solar panel production, vapour cloud explosions (VCE), rapid phase transitions (RPT), production, storage and use…

Related Courses

Self-Declaration of Mechanical Equipment to be Used in Flammable Atmospheres

The ATEX Directive 2014/34/EU demands that electrical and mechanical equipment to be used in potentially explosive areas is approved for that purpose. This approval can be performed by the manufacturers themselves if the equipment is to be used in zone 2 and 22 for electrical and mechanical equipment, and in zone 1 and 2 and 21 and 22 considering mechanical

Hazardous Area Classification

Hazardous area classification is an important first step towards reducing the likelihood of ignition of clouds of flammable gas, vapour, and/ or dust. Mechanical and electrical equipment used inside a classified area shall be approved for use in that area. The classification concerns areas both inside and outside process equipment and is closely related to release and dispersion phenomena. Ventilation…

Explosion Science Course

Gexcon has developed a unique training course for obtaining a full understanding of the phenomenon of explosions, including consequences, prevention techniques and current regulatory requirements for a safe and compliant working environment. The course covers gas and dust explosion theory, DSEAR (Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations) and ATEX regulations, ignition theory, hazardous area classification, risk assessment and protection concepts….

Mechanical Equipment Manufacturing

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