Meeting Recap: CGA’s 2019 Safety & Reliability Seminar

CGA’s Safety and Reliability of Industrial Gases, Equipment, and Facilities Seminar was held October 16-17, 2019, in Hollywood, Florida. This is CGA’s longest running seminar, first held in 1962.

Chaired by Bernard Malnarick of Airgas and managed by the Atmospheric Gases and Equipment Committee, this year’s seminar attracted over 60 attendees from 12 countries, including Belgium, Canada, China, Colombia, France, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

The air separation industry has a long history of safe operation, which has been developed through active research, sharing of lessons learned, and best practices.

This year’s technical presentation topics included: bulk storage tanks, flat bottom tanks, carbon monoxide/carbon dioxide mixture cylinders, liquid nitrogen test experimental results, use of advanced data collection and trends analysis to help manage ASU high risk hazards, liquid oxygen transfer hoses, reciprocating compressors in oxygen service, packaged gases, liquid oxygen pumps and mechanical seals, liquid oxygen pump discharge piping, deaerator heat exchanger, dual plate check valve pin and springs, dispersion modeling to predict vent separation distances, mechanical clamps, liquid oxygen vacuum-jacketed piping, and large industries process safety.

CGA would like to thank all event speakers who generously shared their time and expertise to ensure the seminar’s success:

• Gal Ben-Yehuda, Process Engineer, OXAR
• Brian G. Clarkson, Lead Process Safety Engineer, Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
• Robert Duffy, Operation Engineer, Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
• James Eaton, Corporate Process Safety Manager, Linde PLC
• Stephen Keen, Director, Technical Compliance and Risk, Air Liquide Large Industries
• Florent Le Clainche, LI Industrial Watch Manager, Air Liquide
• Jerry Lu, Asia Operation Process Safety Manager, Air Products China
• Elizabeth Lutostansky, Process Safety Engineering Associate, Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
• Derek Miller, Process Safety Director, Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
• Kate O’Handly, Engineer, Bulk Reliability, Matheson
• Pierre Petit, Technical Director, E&C Solutions-Air Liquide
• Sudhir Phakey, Global Head of Process Safety, Linde LLC
• Edward Richey, Materials Engineer, Linde
• Patrick J. Smith, Principle Engineering Associate – Machinery, Air Products & Chemicals, Inc.
• John Somavarapu, Ph.D., Director, ASU Technology, American Air Liquide Holdings Inc.
• Chad Texter, Engineering Associate – Mechanical Integrity, Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
• James VanOmmeren, Senior Process Safety Engineering Associate, Air Products & Chemicals, Inc.
• Elena Vyazmina, R&D Expert/Project Coordinator, Air Liquide R&D
• Anna Wehr-Aukland, Senior Development Professional, Praxair Inc., a member of the Linde group
• Doug Wilcox, Global Emergency Response Manager, Linde

Planning has already begun for the 2020 Safety and Reliability of Industrial Gases, Equipment, and Facilities Seminar. For further information, please contact Kristy Mastromichalis at (703) 788-2728.