Verificação, análise e controle das concentrações de H2S em uma indústria petroquímica

Abstract

Over the years, the Brazilian petrochemical industry has expanded and modernized, having today a diverse range of activities. In the oil sector, there are 12 oil refineries in Brazil, most of which were built in the 1950s and 1960s. Although almost all of them nowadays have a well defined maintenance routine in their process units, leaks and failures in pipes and equipment invariably occur. In the various stages of petroleum refining, there is always the formation of gases inherent in the reactions of the process. Because they are hydrocarbons, these gases are often harmful or even lethal depending on the type, concentration and time of exposure to humans. One such gas formed is hydrogen sulfide or H2S, also known as sulfide gas. As H2S is a highly harmful and highly lethal compound at high concentrations, this work aims to verify and quantify the concentrations of H2S in the various equipament and to analyze the conditions of risk and exposure of the workers of a petrochemical industry to the H2S, more specifically in a oil refinery. This verification is performed by measurements with specific apparatus for detection of H2S, with the samplings carried out according to NR-15. This work also aims to verify the protection and control measures adopted to minimize the risks of H2S exposure. The results were satisfactory, taking into account the age of the facilities, the danger involved in the process, and the complexity of the activities carried out by the workers.