Combustible Dust Testing

Laboratory testing to quantify dust explosion and reactivity hazards

Safety Data Sheets

Develop critical safety data for inclusion in SDS documents

Gas and Vapor

Laboratory testing to quantify explosion hazards for vapor and gas mixtures

UN-DOT
Classification of hazardous materials subject to shipping and storage regulations
Hydrogen
Testing and consulting on the explosion risks associated with devices and processes which use or produce hydrogen
Safety Data Sheets

Develop critical safety data for inclusion in SDS documents

Thermal Stability

Safe storage or processing requires an understanding of the possible hazards associated with sensitivity to variations in temperature

Adiabatic Calorimetry
Data demonstrate the consequences of process upsets, such as failed equipment or improper procedures, and guide mitigation strategies including Emergency Relief System (ERS) design
Reaction Calorimetry
Data yield heat and gas removal requirements to control the desired process chemistry
Battery Safety

Testing to support safe design of batteries and electrical power backup facilities particularly to satisfy UL9540a ed.4

Safety Data Sheets

Develop critical safety data for inclusion in SDS documents

Cable Testing
Evaluate electrical cables to demonstrate reliability and identify defects or degradation
Equipment Qualification (EQ)
Testing and analysis to ensure that critical equipment will operate under adverse environmental conditions
Water Hammer
Analysis and testing to identify and prevent unwanted hydraulic pressure transients in process piping
Acoustic Vibration
Identify and eliminate potential sources of unwanted vibration in piping and structural systems
Gas & Air Intrusion
Analysis and testing to identify and prevent intrusion of gas or air in piping systems
ISO/IEC 17025:2017

Fauske & Associates fulfills the requirements of ISO/IEC 17025:2017 in the field of Testing

ISO 9001:2015
Fauske & Associates fulfills the requirements of ISO 9001:2015
Dust Hazards Analysis
Evaluate your process to identify combustible dust hazards and perform dust explosion testing
On-Site Risk Management
On-site safety studies can help identify explosibility and chemical reaction hazards so that appropriate testing, simulations, or calculations are identified to support safe scale up
DIERS Methodology
Design emergency pressure relief systems to mitigate the consequences of unwanted chemical reactivity and account for two-phase flow using the right tools and methods
Deflagrations (Dust/Vapor/Gas)

Properly size pressure relief vents to protect your processes from dust, vapor, and gas explosions

Effluent Handling

Pressure relief sizing is just the first step and it is critical to safely handle the effluent discharge from an overpressure event

FATE™ & Facility Modeling

FATE (Facility Flow, Aerosol, Thermal, and Explosion) is a flexible, fast-running code developed and maintained by Fauske and Associates under an ASME NQA-1 compliant QA program.

Mechanical, Piping, and Electrical
Engineering and testing to support safe plant operations and develop solutions to problems in heat transfer, fluid, flow, and electric power systems
Hydrogen Safety
Testing and consulting on the explosion risks associated with devices and processes which use or produce hydrogen
Thermal Hydraulics
Testing and analysis to ensure that critical equipment will operate under adverse environmental conditions
Nuclear Safety
Our Nuclear Services Group is recognized for comprehensive evaluations to help commercial nuclear power plants operate efficiently and stay compliant
Radioactive Waste
Safety analysis to underpin decomissioning process at facilities which have produced or used radioactive nuclear materials
Adiabatic Safety Calorimeters (ARSST and VSP2)

Low thermal inertial adiabatic calorimeters specially designed to provide directly scalable data that are critical to safe process design

Other Lab Equipment and Parts for the DSC/ARC/ARSST/VSP2 Calorimeters

Products and equipment for the process safety or process development laboratory

FERST

Software for emergency relief system design to ensure safe processing of reactive chemicals, including consideration of two-phase flow and runaway chemical reactions

FATE

Facility modeling software mechanistically tracks transport of heat, gasses, vapors, and aerosols for safety analysis of multi-room facilities

Blog

Our highly experienced team keeps you up-to-date on the latest process safety developments.

Process Safety Newsletter

Stay informed with our quarterly Process Safety Newsletters sharing topical articles and practical advice.

Resources

With over 40 years of industry expertise, we have a wealth of process safety knowledge to share.

Academic Institutions

Academic InstitutionsSince Fauske & Associates, LLC (FAI)'s inception in 1980, we have assisted academic institutions with process safety teaching, testing and equipment.  For example, FAI was the principal research contractor for the Design Institute for Emergency Relief Systems (DIERS), an extensive R&D program sponsored by 29 companies under the auspices of AIChE and completed in 1985.  Company founder, Dr. Hans K. Fauske served as the principal investigator and overall leader of the DIERS research project.  A primary purpose of that effort was evaluation of emergency relief vent requirements, including energy and gas release rates for systems under upset conditions and the effect of two phase flow on the emergency discharge process.

The DIERS program resulted in the development of a bench scale low thermal inertia adiabatic calorimeter, which was first commercialized as the Vent Sizing Package (VSPTM). Later improvements led to the VSP2TM. The Reactive System Screening Tool (RSST TM) was introduced by FAI in 1989 to provide an easy, inexpensive approach to the DIERS testing method. Recent enhancements led to the Advanced RSST (ARSSTTM) in 1999. FAI uses the DIERS-based VSP2TM and ARSSTTM calorimeters to characterize chemical systems and design emergency pressure relief systems. Both instruments provide vent sizing data that are directly applicable to the process scale.  

The ARSST™ is an easy to use, reliable calorimeter that is ideal for use in undergraduate laboratories to demonstrate relief valve sizing, evaluation of kinetic parameters and reinforcing the importance of thermal analysis as part of chemical process safety in industry.

A partial list of universities and colleges currently using FAI calorimeters include:  

  • Carnegie Mellon University
  • Jubial Industrial College (Saudi Arabia)
  • Louisiana State University
  • Memorial University (Canada)
  • Michigan Tech University
  • Oklahoma State University
  • Purdue University
  • Texas A & M University
  • Tokyo University (Japan)
  • Tulane University
  • University of Arkansas
  • University of Iowa
  • University of Michigan
  • University of Minnesota
  • University of Yokohama (Japan)
  • Universidad de Zaragoza (Spain)

ARSST™ training provided to students, faculty and industrial users alike includes process safety principles as well as video support/demonstrations regarding use and maintenance of equipment.  All SACHE (Safety and Chemical Engineering Education) members have access to the SACHE Module "Runaway Reactions - Experimental Characterization and Vent Sizing" (2005) - featuring ARSST™ experiments and corresponding vent sizing analysis using DIERS methodology.  In addition, the AICHE Runaway Reaction Safety Certificate was developed by chemical reactivity specialist Amy Theis. Theis is also Director of Risk Management Services at FAI.

The ARSST™ can be used for the following applications in an undergraduate class:

  • Thermal hazard identification – kinetics, safety or senior design course
  • Relief valve sizing – safety or senior design course
  • Closed system testing – demonstrate vapor pressure-temperature relationship for pure substance and Raoult’s Law for mixtures (thermodynamics course)

FAI calorimeters have been referenced in many textbooks, commonly used in undergraduate courses.  Some examples:

Chemical Process Safety: Fundamentals with Applications, 3rd edition, D. Crowl & J. Louvar. ARSST™ for characterization of reactive chemical hazards.  Another FAI tool, the VSP2™ (Vent Sizing Package 2) calorimeter and its application for obtaining required data for relief system design, is referenced as well.  

Elements of Chemical Reaction Engineering, 4th edition, H. Scott Folger.  Provides examples of RSST™/ARSST™ experiments to determine:

  • Activation energy
  • Frequency factor
  • Heat of reaction
  • Size vent relief valves for runaway exothermic reactions

In another blog,  "Reactive Hazard Identification Key to Chemical Engineering Process SafetyFAI points to the latest university recommendations: 

According to ABET (The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology lead by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers), the "Program Criteria for Chemical, Biochemical, Biomolecular, and Similarly Named Engineering Programs" curriculum must: 

"...provide a thorough grounding in the basic sciences including chemistry, physics, and/or biology, with some content at an advanced level, as appropriate to the objectives of the program. The curriculum must include the engineering application of these basic sciences to the design, analysis, and control of chemical, physical, and/or biological processes, including the hazards associated with these processes."  As such, it is important to be sure hazard identification is at the core of any safety program.  This article is meant to provide steps for that identification as well as evaluations and testing methods. 

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