Análise crítica das camadas de proteção exigidas pela NR 13 e sua adequação para processos de extração supercrítica.

Abstract

The supercritical technology is unit operation that uses fluids in supercritical conditions to separation specific components of mixtures. The characteristic of the supercritical technology is the use of high pressure in the extraction step; therefore the pressure vessel equipment is very important. The pressure vessel equipment is it that keeps the fluid inside under differential pressure, and normally is used to extract, separate, filter, condense, heat and store. In Brazil, the Rule NR-13 is the strategic document that provides the information about the safety of pressure vessel and boiler. However, its application does not ensure the total in an industrial plant that uses this equipment. Thus, the present study has as goal to compare the questions presents at Rule NR 13, specifically the part that deals with the pressure vessels, with the layers of protection recommended by the technique Layers of Protection Analysis - LOPA. The results showed to indicate that Rule NR 13 provides in its structure a good level of security, because involve the presence of five layers of protection. However, when the process is the supercritical extraction it is necessary other documents to complement the Rule NR 13. As the eight layers of protection recommended by LOPA technique are attended, the safety levels this type of industrial plant increase significantly.