Chemical Industry Digest: Innovations and Challenges in Process Safety
The December 2025 Chemical Industry Digest focuses on critical safety topics, beginning with a call for uncompromising process safety in India. It highlights how IoT, AI, Machine Learning, and Digital Twins are revolutionizing industrial safety through real-time monitoring and predictive management. The digest also addresses profit losses from 'invisible accidents,' the importance of effective Functional Safety Management, and AI's transformative role in oil and gas terminal safety. Finally, it discusses managing 'dead legs' in crude oil refineries to prevent incidents and ensure asset integrity.
The December 2025 Chemical Industry Digest presents a multifaceted examination of contemporary safety and operational issues. Vinoo Mathews’ 'A Wake-Up Call for Chemical Process Safety in India' underscores the enduring necessity for robust safety measures, referencing the Bhopal tragedy and highlighting persistent gaps. Suresh Tanwar's piece details how advanced technologies—IoT, AI, Machine Learning, and Digital Twins—are reshaping chemical industry safety by enabling real-time monitoring, predictive risk management, and proactive compliance. Rajendra Utturkar introduces 'The Invisible Epidemic,' explaining how misaligned operational elements contribute to hidden accidents that erode profitability, advocating for the 4th Era PSMS framework to address these issues. Shivendra Kapoor discusses critical failures in 'Functional Safety Management (FSM),' where neglect can compromise Safety Instrumented Functions (SIFs), stressing the need for a comprehensive FSM lifecycle. Onur ÖZUTKU illustrates AI's revolutionary impact on oil and gas terminal safety, facilitating predictive maintenance, early anomaly detection, and real-time risk management for a proactive safety framework. Lastly, Dr. Marcio Wagner da Silva provides insights into 'Managing the Threat of “Dead Legs” in Crude Oil Refineries,' identifying these stagnant zones as sources of corrosion, microbial growth, and leaks, and emphasizing the importance of their effective management to protect asset integrity and prevent process safety incidents.
