CENG 291 PROJECT

8/16/2019 CENG 291 PROJECT

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KWAME NKRUMAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

ENGINEERING IN SOCIETYCOLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

PETROCHEMICAL ENGINEERING

(DISASTER PREVENTION AT FILLING STATIONS) ADU-BOAHENE FRANCIS

2184314

AUGUST 2015

USING KNOWLEDGE IN CHOSEN ENGINEERING FIELD TO SOLVE PROBLEMSCONFRONTING THE SOCIETY



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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTMy greatest appreciation goes to the Almighty God who has given me the knowledge, wisdom,ability and direction to help me get this far with this project. I am so indebted to him for makingthis idea known to the personnel who brought up this project.

My profound gratitude also goes to Prof. S.I.K Ampadu, the Provost of the College ofEngineering for this initiative that would serve as a strong foundation for all subsequent courses.

I would also like to thank all the lecturers behind this idea especially, Mr. E.K. Baah Ennumh

who sacrificed his time and effort to answer my calls on this project.

I cannot leave out Mr. Alexander Nimako Sebeh and the manager at Kukuom Total FillingStation, Mr.Kofi Asamoah who were ever willing to give me all the information I needed tosource this project.

I would be an ungrateful being if I do not recognize all those who helped me accumulate thenecessary data I needed and lastly my father who was also willing to support me in cash and in

prayers.God richly bless you all! AMEN.



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ABSTRACT OF REPORT

Establishment of filling station over the years have become the major flourishing business in thecountry. Because of this, people just setup this station at any place that they think it suits themforgetting about the negative implication that might erupt now or some years to come.

Questionnaires were prepared and sent out for people (target people) to answer and they werelater analysed and presented in statistical table and figures such frequency distribution table toshow the respond rate and pie/bar chart to illustrate the percentage of the respondents to give ameaningful result. A link was then drawn from the analyses and measures to curb such practiceswere suggested to help prevent disaster that might evolve now or in the future.

KEYWORDS: filling station, flourishing, questionnaires, statistical table, respondents, disaster



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Contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT .......................................................................................................................... 2

ABSTRACT OF REPORT ........................................................................................................................... 3

LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES ............................................................................................................. 5

1.1 A BRIEF BACKGROUND TO THE COURSE ............................................................................ 6

1.2 OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT ....................................................................................... 6

1.3 A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF REPORT CONTENT ................................................................... 6

2.0 METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................................................. 7

2.1 IDENTIFICATION OF PROBLEM ............................................................................................... 7

2.2 PREPARATION OF MAP ................................................................................................................. 7

2.3 COLLECTION OF DATA ................................................................................................................. 7

2.4 PRESENTATION AND ANALYSES OF DATA ............................................................................. 8

3.0 DISCUSSION OF RESULTS ............................................................................................................... 17

3.1 DESCRIPTION OF COMMUNITY ................................................................................................ 17

A).LOCATION AND SIZE ................................................................................................................... 17

B). POPULATION .............................................................................................................................. 18

C). OCCUPATION ............................................................................................................................ 18

D). CLIMATE ......................................................................................................................................... 18

E). VEGETATION .............................................................................................................................. 19

F). LITERACY AND EDUCATION ................................................................................................... 19

G). RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION ......................................................................................................... 19

3.2 NATURE AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE IDENTIFIED PROBLEMS ........................ 19

3.4 DESCRIPTION OF ENGINEERING FIELD AND ITS DIFFERENT BRANCHES ............. 22

3.4 DESCRIPTION OF HOW ENGINEERING FIELD COULD SOLVE THE PROBLEM ...... 26

4.0 DEDUCTION ....................................................................................................................................... 29

4.1 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................... 29

4.2 RECOMMENDATION ........................................................................................................................ 29

5.1 COPIES OF QUESTIONNAIRES ................................................................................................... 30

5.2 LETTER OF INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................... 32

6.0 REFERENCES ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ..33



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LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURESLIST OF TABLES

Table 1.01: Age Distribution TableTable 1.02: Gender DistributionTable 1.03: Nationality of the peopleTable 1.04: Occupation of the people

Table 1.05: Religious Background ofthe peopleTable 1.06: Religious Denomination ofthe peopleTable 1.1: Tools and Equipment forcombating fireTable 1.7: position of the filling stationTable 1.9: storage system at the fillingstationTable 1.12: causes of fuel adulterationTable 1.14: effects of fuel adulterationTable 1.17: devices use for checkingadulteration

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1.01 Age DistributionFigure 1.02 Gender DistributionFigure 1.03: Nationality of the peopleFigure 1.04: Occupation of the people

Figure 1.05: Religious Background of thepeopleFigure 1.06: Religious Denomination ofthe peopleFigure 1.1: Tools and Equipment forcombating fireFigure 1.7: position of the filling stationFigure 1.9: storage system at the fillingstationFigure 1.12: causes of fuel adulterationFigure 1.14: effects of fuel adulterationFigure 1.17: devices use for checkingadulterationFigure 1.18: Asunafo South District MapFigure 1.19: Plantain from Opanin’sKwaku farmFigure 1.20: Agya Oppong Cocoa PlantainTable 1.21: Kwame Nkrumah CircleJune 3rd incidence photos Figure 1.22: Underground tank atKukuom Total Filing StationFigure 1.23: Fire Hydrant

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1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 A BRIEF BACKGROUND TO THE COURSE

Engineering in society is a course aimed at inculcating in students what really goes into theirchosen courses. It is to help them to identify their field, collate data concerning the challengesfacing their communities and do some research on how their individual courses are suited tosolve the problems pertaining to their courses. This is necessary because many a time a lot of

people from the early stages do not know what they have to know about the course they are pursuing. This course is aimed at getting all students involved in an active problem-solvingsituation, which makes them use their engineering knowledge for what is really meant to be usedfor.

1.2 OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENTThis assignment is to help students at their beginning of their course of study to understand whatgoes into their course as well as the main aim of their course. Many people complete theirvarious courses not knowing what really goes into it. This assignment is put in place to help curbforeseen occurrences of such situations. It is also to help students, after being acquainted with thenitty-gritty of the course, solve problems faced in their communities.

This assignment is also to make known to students that the main purpose of engineering is tosolve problems and to draw the closest possible link between their chosen fields and the

problems facing the society. Students should therefore use knowledge in their chosen fields tosolve the problems in their society.

1.3 A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF REPORT CONTENTThis report contains the information about the community in which I live, Kukuom, and the useof my petrochemical knowledge to solve some problems in my area. It contains what my course,Petrochemical Engineering, really entails and how knowledge in this field helps in solvingsocietal problems. It contains some images of the problem faced and all the procedures used tohelp in the problem solving.



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2.0 METHODOLOGY

2.1 IDENTIFICATION OF PROBLEMThere are many problems that Kukuom face as a town. Some of these problems are: Water-Borne Diseases like Buruli Ulcer, Indiscriminate dumping of refuse, improper sighting of fillingstations and the likes. Some of these problems are major and others are minor.

The problem I am about to tackle was identified after serious observations and survey of the problem really encountered by the society was made and in order to prevent disaster that mightoccur due to improper sighting of filling station. I moved to the site and made general surveyagain and asked myself whether the problem can be solved with my field of engineering

principles and concept.

I interrogated some residents over there and some felt reluctant and other received me with „coldarms.‟ I then made analyses of all the problems collated to know which one of the problems

identified, I could render remedy using technical know-how in my field of study (petrochemicalengineering). This made me co nclude that „disaster at filling station” which I could confidentlyattribute to improper sighting of site and not having enough tools and equipment was the

problem I could use knowledge in my field to solve. As to whether the problem identified talliedwith my findings was what I was really aiming at.

This be came the backbone of my engineering in society‟ with the theme “DISASTER

PREVENTION AT FILLING STATIONS ”

2.2 PREPARATION OF MAP

Several attempts were made on how to get the map for the study area. I first made an attempt tovisit the Planning Department of the Asunafo South District and they were unable to provide it tome. I was then directed to the Health Department and all to no avail. I went to the Ministry ofFood and Agriculture (MOFA) and they were able to provide me with both the soft and hardcopy of the map for the study area.

2.3 COLLECTION OF DATAThe data I have provided in this report were compiled from a survey of a whole lot of areas Icould gather information from. This project discloses to me the many sources where informationcould be tapped from and how best the right information I wanted from people. This was done by

a rough survey of my society to know the nature and characteristics of the problem at hand forme to solve. I made a questionnaire to be given to the individual who were my target group and Ilatter put together all the facts using statistical table and figures such frequency distribution tableto show the respond rate and pie/bar chart to illustrate the percentage of the respondents to give ameaningful result.



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2.4 PRESENTATION AND ANALYSES OF DATA

TABLE: 1.01 AGE DISTRIBUTION TABLE

Figure 1.01: AGE DISTRIBUTION

ANALYSIS: From table 1.01, 22 respondents representing 100%, 54.5% of the respondents fall betweenthe ages of 16-30 while 45.5% of the respondents fall between the ages of 31-45.

CONCLUSION: It can be concluded that, the youth in the town are much more involved in the fuelstation business than the aged. Therefore, if there is a disaster at this place, the working force of town will

be affected which in turn also affect the economic growth of the town, district and the country as well.

Figure 1.02: GENDER DISTRIBUTION

ANALYSIS : From table 1.02, 13 of the respondents are male whiles 9 of the respondents are female.

CONCLUSION: This can be concluded that, majority of the male youth are involved in the fillingstation business and this confirms Ghana Statistical Board- Population Census 2010 while the femaleare also chasing them in search for the job.

02468

1012

0-15 16-30 31-45 46above

FREQ.

0-15

16-30

31-45

46 above

FREQUENCY

Male

Female

MALE

AGE(X) FREQ. PERCENT.0-15 0 016-30 12 54.531-45 10 45.546above 0 0TOTAL 22 100

GENDER FREQUENCYMale 13

Female 9

Total 22

FEMALE



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TABLE 1.03: NATIONALITY OF THE PEOPLE

Figure 1.03: NATIONALITY OF THE PEOPLE

Table 1.03 indicates that, 21 out of 22 respondents are Ghanaian whiles 1 person is a foreigner.

CONCLUSION: This can be concluded that, most of the inhabitants in Kukuom are Ghanaians by birth.

TABLE 1.04: OCCUPATION OF THE PEOPLE IN THE TOWN

Figure 1.04: OCCUPATION OF THE PEOPLE IN THE TOWN

The occupational background of the people was accessed and the table above revealed that fuel attendantswere many because they were the major target group

0

5

10

15

20

25

Ghanaian Other

FREQUENCY

Ghanaian

Other

Student18%

FuelAttendan

t32%

Driving27%

Other23%

FREQUENCY

NATIONALITY FREQUENCY

Ghanaian 21Other 1Total 22

OCCUPATION FREQUENCYStudent 4

Fuel Attendant 7Driving 6

Other 5Total 22



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TABLE 1.05: RELIGIOUS BACKGROUND OF THE PEOPLE

FIGURE 1.05: RELIGIOUS BACKGROUND OF THE PEOPLE

From the table Christians are on the increase in the town followed by Islam and ATR.

It can be deduced that most of the inhabitants are Christians.

TABLE 1.06: RELIGIOUS DENOMINAL BACKGROUND OF THE PEOPLE

FIGURE 1.05: RELIGIOUS BACKGROUND OF THE PEOPLE

It can also be deduced from the figure that Catholics are many in the town also forming about 30% of thetotal population

0

5

10

15

20

FREQUENCY

Christianity

Islam

ATR

0

2

4

6FREQUENCY

Catholic

Methodist

Presbyterian

Pentecost

Other

RELIGION FREQUENCYChristianity 19

Islam 3ATR 0TOTAL 22

DENOMINATION FREQUENCYCatholic 6

Methodist 5Presbyterian 1Pentecost 2

Other 5Total 22



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TABLE 1.1 Tools and equipment for combating fire.

Table 1.1 indicate that all the 22 respondents said „YES‟, the filling station have tools and equipmentfor combating fire.CONCLUSION: it can be concluded that, all the filling stations have tools and equipment necessaryto control fire at the filling station.

1.2 Yes to question 1.1

The under listed are tools and equipment respondents gave:

Fire Extinguisher Sand

CONCLUSION: It can conclude that, these equipment are available at all filling station for controllingfire.

1.4: All the respondents answered „yes‟ to question 1.4 that all the fuel attendants know how to use thetools and equipment to control the fire in case there is outbreak.

1.5: All the respondents answered „yes‟ to question 1.5 that, the re is fire alerting system at the fillingstation.

1.6: The most popular fuels that they sell or buy at the station are;

Petrol Diesel ; this is because the automobiles at this place consume only these kind of fuels

05

10

15

20

25

Yes No

FREQUENCY

Yes

No

RESPONDS FREQUENCY

Yes 22No 0Total 22



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TABLE: 1.7: POSITION OF THE STATION

Figure 1.7: POSITION OF THE STATION

10 people responded yes and 10 people also responded „no‟ with2 people not answering at all.

1.8: The respondents answered „yes‟ to question 1.8 that, they have warning signs at the filling station.

This can therefore be concluded that most of the filling stations I visited have warning signs to prompt people of the danger ahead.

RESPONDS FREQUENCY

Yes 10No 10

Abstention 2Total 22

Yes No Abstential



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TABLE 1.9: STORAGE SYSTEM AT THE FILLING STATION

FIGURE 1.9: STORAGE SYSTEM AT THE FILLING STATION

82% of the total respondents responded that there are proper storage systems at the filling station whiles18% not sure whether they have or not.

1.10: 82% of the people said the fuel is stored underground with the lid well placed on it and also the

valves of the buried tank containing the fuel is well tightened whiles the 18% of the people said there is asource of water (well) nearer to the tank and in case there is a leakage it might affect the water which inturn poison the water.

1.11, Definition of fuel adulteration:

11 people representing 50% of the total were able to define the fuel adulteration as; mixing kerosene orwater with petrol/diesel to get more quantity for sale whiles the other 50% said nothing about that.

YES82%

NO18%

FREQUENCY RESPONDS FREQUENCY

YES 18NO 4

Total 22



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TABLE 1.12 CAUSES OF FUEL ADULTERATION

Figure 1.12: CAUSES OF FUEL ADULTERATION

Table 1.12 shows that, 13 out of 22 respondents said „yes‟ to the question whiles 9 people said „no‟

CONCLUSION: It can be concluded that, majority of the respondents know the causes of the fueladulteration mostly the fuel attendants followed by the drivers. This is because they could be practicallyinvolved in such an act.

1.13. Causes of fuel adulteration

The majority cause of adulteration the respondents gave was that, those who practice such an act do thisto get more quantity to sell to get more money.

0 10 20

Yes

No

RESPONDS

Yes

No

RESPONDS RESPONDSYes 13No 9Total 22



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TABLE 1.14: EFFECTS OF FUEL ADULTERATION

Figure 1.14: EFFECTS OF FUEL ADULTERATION

13 respondents out of the total respondents know the effects of fuel adulteration whiles 9 peopleresponded negative to the question.

This can be concluded that, majority of the people know the effect of fuel adulteration.

1.15: answers to 1.14

Below are some of the effects listed by respondents;

Breakdown of car engines Air pollution

1.16: How fuel adulteration can be solved.

The following are the views the respondents gave on how fuel adulteration can be stopped:

They said since petrol/diesel are mostly adulterated with kerosene, then the kerosene and the petrol/diesel should be charged with the same price.

They also said there should be law enforcement to punish those who find themselves in such anact.

Yes59%

No41%

FREQUENCY RESPONDS FREQUENCY

Yes 13No 9

Total 22



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TABLE 1.17: DEVICES USE FOR CHECKING ADULTERATED FUEL

Figure 1.17: DEVICES USE FOR CHECKING ADULTERATED FUEL

1.18: The device the respondent gave was mass spectrometer.

0

5

10

15

20

25

No Yes

FREQUENCY

No

Yes

RESPONDS FREQUENCYNo 21

Yes 1Total 22



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3.0 DISCUSSION OF RESULTS

3.1 DESCRIPTION OF COMMUNITY

A).LOCATION AND SIZEKukuom is a town located in Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana, specifically in the Asunafo South

District. It happens to be the capital town of the district. It can be found along the Goaso-Bibianiroad. It is 16Km drive from Goaso by car (app. 15 mins) and 35Km when driving from Bibiani(Google map ver2.2). It has the following information as well:

Latitude: 6.6945 Lat (DMS): 6°4140 N Longitude: -2.4427 Long (DMS): 2°2634 W

Altitude (feet): 830 Altitude (meters): 252

FIGURE 1.18: ASUNAFO SOUTH DISTRICT MAP



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B). POPULATIONKukuom happens to be one of the growing towns in the country. It has a population of about26,909 people. It is also one of the few towns which have more males than female (GhanaStatistical Board- Population Census 2010). The population of the town has been into three broadeconomic groups;

0-14 YEARS- Which constitute children

15-64 YEARS- Forming the working/economically active population and

65 YEARS and ABOVE- This constitute the aged.

C) OCCUPATION Nearly, three quarters (74.2%) of the working active population aged are farmers.

They cultivate mainly plantain and cocoa.

Figure 1.20: AGYA OPPONG‟S COCOA

PLANTATION

Figure 1.19: PLANTAIN FROM OPANIN KWAKU‟S FA RM

D). CLIMATEThe town experiences the wet semi-equatorial type of climate. The temperature of the town is uniformlyhigh all year round with the hottest month being March with about 30 ° C. The mean monthly

temperature for the town is about 25.50°C. The town experiences double maximum rainfall from125cm-175cm. The major rains occur between April and July with the minor September andOctober.



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E) VEGETATIONThe town lies within the semi-deciduous forest belt of Ghana. The forest contains large speciesof trees. Some of which are Kyenkyen, Dohama, Kusia/Opepe, Penkwa/Sapele, Onyina/Ceibaetc.

F) LITERACY AND EDUCATION

Of the population of the town, 11 years and above 70.7% are literate and 29.3% are illiterate.The population literate males (76.8%) are higher than females (62.3%). Five out of ten peopleinterviewed indicate that they can read and write.

G). RELIGIOUS AFFILIATIONChristianity has the largest (71.0%) mainly the Catholics, followed by Islam (16.1%) and AfricanTraditional Religion (4.6%). A significant proportion (7.8%) reported affiliation no church.

3.2 NATURE AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THEIDENTIFIED PROBLEMS

Many people think the most booming business nowadays in the country is the establishment offuel (filling) stations. Many laws concerning the establishment of this station have been violated.Filling stations nowadays are established anywhere that suits the owner.

According to Ghana Science Association (GSA) of KNUST branch, fuel and gas stations must be established five hundred meters (500 M) away from residential or industrial settings. Theestablishment of this station at anywhere may one way or other increases the risk of exposure of

disasters.

Recently the June 3rd, disaster which occurred at Kwame Nkrumah Circle which happened toclaim about hundred (100) lives (Graphic Online, 2015) was due to improper sighting of stationand also some necessary measures that needed to be put in place but over looked. This situationis not different from my study area (Kukuom).

There are a lot of houses which are built around this fuel (filling) station at this place. The housesare just about 20-50 meters away from the station. According to Graphic Online (dated: 5 th August, 2015) the catastrophic fire that occurred at circle which happened to claim about 100

lives was sparked by a lightning which struck a house close to the filling station.



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Figure 1.21: Kwame Nkrumah Circle June 3rd incidence photos

As I have already stated earlier, if such incidence is to happen at my area, it will be moredangerous than the circle incidence.

Not only the improper sighting of the filling station that I identified, that can lead to disaster at

the filling station, but also not having the required tools and equipment to combat the fire in casethere is fire outbreak. Most of the filling stations I visited have oil spillages on the ground. Incase there is even a spark of naked flame on the ground, it will ignite fire.

The underground tank which many findings reveal after the GOIL incidence as it was nottightened well was not also different from my area. The tank which is buried underground withonly the valves shown was loosen. Not all the filling stations I visited were facing the same

problem. A visit to the TOTAL FILLING STATION at Kukuom (16 th July, 2015) was greatexperience. The cover of the underground tank was opened to me to observe and I saw it that thevalves were well tightened.

Figure 1.22: Underground tank at Kukuom Total Filing Station



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A chemical called water finding paste was used to examine whether water has entered theunderground fuel in underground tank. The chemical changes colour from purple to red incontact with water. I placed a sample of the paste in my palm and water was poured on it toobserve whether it will change and it really did. The paste is applied regularly to check whetherwater has entered the tank.

I then asked some of the filling station I visited whether they have tools and equipment tocombat fire in case there is fire outbreak and each of the four filling stations was able to tell methey have sand, fire extinguisher and other fire alerting system that will sound in case there is firesetup at any of the premises. I was curious to check the expiring date - surprisingly most of thechemicals inside the fire extinguishers were expired. It was there as only as camouflage to show

people that they have these equipment fires in case there is any problem. I became surprised andtold myself that the June 3rd incidence is that far from us. As to whether this catastrophicincidence at circle should not happen again, then proper measures need to be put in place.

In my quest to find the type of fuel sold at each filling station, majority of them told me petrol

and diesel were on the increase because most of the automobiles use these fuels. I then askedthem if they know something about fuel adulteration and about 50% responded „yes‟ and 50%said „no‟. The 5 0% people which I got as a results from my questionnaire told me that althoughthey know something about fuel adulteration but they don‟t have instrument to check whether thefuel has been adulterated but if the fuel receive from the petrol tankers is adulterated, the driverswhich come regularly to make purchase will bring complain about the fuel they bought from the

place. They usually give complains that, they hear usually noise in their engines and foradulterated fuel (petrol), the smoke is very dark but for unadulterated fuel, the smoke is bluish incolour. When they see that they begin to suspect that the fuel has been adulterated.

But for the other 50% of the respondents who answered the questionnaire gave no comments tothe questions concerning the fuel adulteration.

Consequently, most of the adulterated fuels pose problems to the vehicles and even the society aswell. Firstly, the petrol adulterated with kerosene would make the fuel susceptible to knock- anabnormal combustion phenomenon in spark ignition engines. When the knocking is severe and

persistent, it may damage the engine components including piston rings and lands cylinder headgasket.

Secondly, the consequences of fuel adulteration range from environmental to economic. Theincreased emission resulting from the use of the adulterated fuel has direct environmentalconsequences. However, there may be indirect consequences as well. Kerosene which is the

basic fuel for cooking and lighting intended for lower income people is misused in the transportsector, thus depriving those people of their daily cooking and lighting fuel. This may compel

people to use inefficient biomass stores as an alternative causing higher level indoor pollution.

Lastly, this so called flourishing business for others has also resulted in big losses in revenue tothe government.



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All this while, it looks as if no one cares and none is ready to voice how this improper sitting offilling stations could be brought to halt. Well, the solution lies in our own hands and the ball is inour own court whether to be assets or liabilities to our communities. If we sit down for all these

problems to take place then we are not moving forward as a town and country as a whole.

3.4 DESCRIPTION OF ENGINEERING FIELD AND ITSDIFFERENT BRANCHESEngineering is the practical application of proven scientific knowledge in the design, buildingand the construction of machines roads, bridges, electrical apparatus, chemical etc with the aimof solving impending societal problems and making living conditions better.Engineering as a field of science has existed since ancient times as humans devised fundamentalinventions such as pulley, lever and wheel. This word originated from the word “engineer”which itself dates back to 1325, when an engine‟er (literally one who operates an engine) who

were also known as constructors of military engines which were a mechanical contraption usedin war. For example, a catapult.Engineering in our days has been diverte-d into so many specializations whose individualactivities are very much similar to the engineering used in those days because of their main aimto solve societal problems. It is just that each of the diversions has its own field in which there ismuch application of the broad engineering principles available. For all the specifications, the

purpose for which the engineering knowledge is being applied precedes the engineering to showthe direction of operation and the mission of the individual divisions. eg in petrochemicalengineering, the petrochemical shows what the engineering is used for.

Apart from technical knowledge and subject skills, you need soft skills such as goodcommunication skills, along with creative thinking, commitment and confidence. Perseverance isone of the keys of engineering as you will be surrounded with various challenges all the time andshould be prepared for long hours of work. The drive and desire to innovate along withimagination will engineer the success needed in all aspects of your field.

Many a nonprofessional, as I were before this assignment, would be tempted to think that petrochemical engineering is limited to works in the refining of crude oil produced in the petroleum sector but it‟s far more broader tha n that. The refinery though is one of the main

categories of application of the Petrochemical knowledge but it is broader than that.Petrochemical engineering is one of the many diversities of engineering, which has its root fromchemical engineering but only that its gives a specific chemical that the engineering uses in thisrespect. Petrochemical engineering is a specialized branch of Chemical Engineering (a branch ofengineering which deals with the processes of converting raw material or chemicals into moreuseful or valuable forms) which deal with the operations of refining and petrochemicaltechnology. The word preceding the engineering, which is “petrochemical”, seeks to imply what



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the engineering seeks to achieve in using the engineering knowledge. Petrochemical engineers plan, supervise and improve all Petrochemical producing operations, from exploration,exploitation and development to abandonment. They also learn about specific upstream activitiesthat encompass how the reservation and production of the petrochemical products could be doneafter exploration. One who obtains a Degree, Masters or PhD in this field is one who is qualifiedto be called a Petrochemical Engineer.

The petrochemical Industry has its inception some 70 years ago with the production of isopropylalcohol from propylene. The word petrochemical is coined to describe the chemicals obtaineddirectly or indirectly from petroleum hydrocarbon and natural gas. This is derived from acombination of “petro” (which means petrol) and chemical (anything relating to chemistry).In this regard, petrochemical engineering is the practical application of the scientific knowledgeon the substances gotten from oil or natural gas. The production of petrochemicals is one of thedominant industries of the developed countries, a driving force and a future goal for developingcountries. With the account of catalytic reforming, aromatic hydrocarbons have becomeavailable from a stable source namely crude oil and natural gas. Below is a list of some

petrochemical hydrocarbons and what they really are. Most of the compounds that wereconsidered as petrochemicals were first made out of wood and coal.

Aliphatic - hydrocarbons characterized by a straight- or branched-chain; can include single ormultiple bonds. Aliphatics are not cyclic; they do not have a ring structure. The simplestmember of this group is methane.

Aromatic - an organic compound characterized by multiple double bonds and a ring structure,

like the benzene ring. Aromatics are very stable because the double bonds are conjugated,meaning that the carbon-to-carbon bonds go in a pattern of single bond, then double bond, thensingle, then double, etc.

Benzene - a colourless, volatile, flammable liquid used extensively in organic chemistry as a base structure to which different atoms and molecular structures can be attached. It is used tomake medicine, crop protection chemicals and many other beneficial products. It is also used asa solvent and component in motor fuels.

Ethylene - a colourless, flammable, gas that contains only two carbons that are doubly bonded to

one another. It is one of the most important olefins and used extensively in chemical synthesisand to make many different kinds of plastics, such as the plastic used for water bottles.

Hydrocarbon - broad descriptor pertaining to organic chemicals and are characterized byvarious carbon and hydrogen molecular structures. Common term used to describe

petrochemicals.



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Inorganic - not containing the carbons and hydrogen bound together like those found in organiccompounds. Class of chemicals that typically exist as salts, acids and alkalines, as well as certaingases and elemental compounds. Carbon dioxide, although it contains a carbon atom, isconsidered inorganic because of its lack of hydrogen bound to the carbon atom.

Naphthenic - any of various volatile, often flammable, liquid hydrocarbon mixtures

characterized by saturated ring structures that are used chiefly as solvents and diluents.

Olefin (aka Alkene) - hydrocarbons characterized by having at least one double bond;specifically, any of a series of open-chain hydrocarbons such as ethylene.

Organic - chemical compounds containing carbon atoms bonded to other carbon atoms,hydrogen atoms or other substitutes for hydrogen (e.g., halogens, sulfur, nitrogen, etc.)

Propylene - a three-carbon, flammable, gaseous molecule containing a double bond; anotherimportant olefin used in organic synthesis. Propylene is also a base chemical to make

polypropylene fibers, which are used in high-performance clothing, carpeting and other products.

Synthesis gas - a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen used especially in chemicalsynthesis to make hydrocarbons.

Toluene - a liquid aromatic hydrocarbon that has a benzene-like structure but is less volatile,flammable, and toxic than benzene. Toluene is used in organic synthesis, as a solvent, and as anantiknock agent for gasoline.

Xylenes - one of the major aromatic feedstocks that are usually obtained from petroleum or

natural gas distillates. Xylenes are used in the manufacture of plastics and synthetic fibres, as asolvent and in the blending of gasoline.

Below are some products from the crude oil (their intermediates and derivatives) and themarket products.



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Petrochemical engineering has two main branches or divisions in the industry. They are the primary industry and the secondary industry.

Primary industryDeals with refining (also known as affining) the petroleum products drilled into basic chemicalsthis industry. This is the oil refining industry. Oil refineries produce olefins and aromatics,whichare petrochemical classes.

Olefins (likeethylene, propylene, and butadiene) which are important sources of industrialchemicals and plastics products. These olefins are produced by steam cracking of naturalgas liquids like ethane and propane. Olefins are the building blocks for a wide range ofmaterials such as solvents, detergents and adhesives. They are the basis for polymers andoligomers used in plastics resins, fibers, elastomers, lubricants and gels.

Aromatics (like benzene toluene and xylene isomers) which sources of solventsdetergents and adhesives. Benzene is a raw material for dye and synthetic detergents, and



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benzene and toluene for isocyanates used in making polyutherethanes..Catalyticreforming of naphtha produces aromatics.

Synthesis gas is a gas is a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen used to makeammonia and methanol.

Secondary industryThis industry deals with industries convert the basic petrochemicals into materials that may

be directly used by other industries. These industries use the products of the primary industryas their raw materials. They process these raw materials into final finished products ready forthe market. It is through this industry that serves as an intermediary between the refineriesand the customers who demand for such produce. Manufactures use xylenes that is an olefinto produce plastics and synthetic fibers. Butadiene, an aromatic, is used in making syntheticrubber. Ammonia, derived from the synthetic gas, is used to make fertilizer urea andmethanol is used as a solvent and chemical intermediate.

3.4 DESCRIPTION OF HOW ENGINEERING FIELD COULD SOLVETHE PROBLEM

As night draws nigh and shadows of the evening come across the sky, man is faced with problem day in day out. Albert Einstein considered to be the father of modern physics oncemade a statement and I quote ‘ if I had an hour to solve a problem I ‘d spend 55 minutesthinking about and 5 minutes thinking about solutions.’ This simple means that before mancan solve any problem he encounters, he needs to think and even go beyond, meditating onthe problem and bring genuine ideas that can help him solve the problem without wastingmuch time on the problem.As the adage goes „Engineers are problem solvers‟, every problem faced in the society needsat least some engineering principles and concepts to solve it. Solving a problem now willhelp curb other problems that might erupt some days to come.I the next paragraphs, the problem identified in my area would be solve using knowledgefrom my field of studies (petrochemical Engineering).The solution which is „DISASTER PREVENTION AT FILING STATION‟ would helpcurb the other pressing problems that the town might face in some years to come.

Firstly, education on the sighting of filling station should be done. Seminars and outreachesshould be organized in my area (Kukuom) to educate the inhabitants about the problem theimproper sighting of place might bring. The government and other relevant stakeholdersshould engage the petrochemical Engineer and the GSA on key issues so that the knowledgeand expertise of Association would provide an effective framework of safety measure whichcould be adopted to help prevent disaster I the near future. Authorities such as EnvironmentalProtection Agency (EPA) and National Petroleum Authority (NPA) must be consulted before



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any filling station is constructed. If the attention of these authorities is not consulted, theowner must be brought to justice. There should be law to punish people who violate the lawconcerning the establishment of these filling stations. Any filling station which is operatingless than 500m away from human settlements should not be allowed to operate. If such law isestablished is will prevent people from establishing filling station which is nearer to humansettlement.Secondly, Fire Protection Service Companies should be tasked with the inspection of fireextinguishers placed at these places. From the analysis, it was deduced that the tools andequipment for combating fire at the filling station were limited as in people only know ofsand and fire extinguishers. Other devices such as fire blanket and fire hydrant should also beintroduced at the filling stations.A fire hydrant is an active fire protection measure and connection point by which firefighterscan tap into water supply. The user attaches a hose to the fire hydrant and then opens a valveon the hydrant to provide a powerful flow of water on the order of 350 kPa. This user canattach this hose to a fire engine, which can use a powerful pump to boost the water pressureand possibly split it into multiple streams. When a firefighter is operating a hydrant, he/shetypically wears appropriate personal protective equipment such as gloves and a helmet withface shield worn. High pressure water coursing through a potential aging and corrodinghydrant could cause a failure, injuring the firefighter operating the hydrant or bystanders.

Figure 1.23: A FIRE HYDRANT

Furthermore, the drivers and the fuel attendants must attend workshops and seminars for them to be educated about fuel adulteration; its causes, effects and ways to stop this practice. The petrochemical engineer should play a major role in the seminar. The people need to be educatedon the octane scale (number). This is a scale where iso-octane 100 (minimal ignition under



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pressure) and heptanes is 0 (easily ignites under pressure). Octane rating decreases with anincrease in the carbon chain and increases with carbon chain branching. It is very important toknow the octane number of petrol because the auto ignition fuels causes knocking effect in the

petrol engines and this is one of the effects of fuel adulteration. There are two ways to increasethe octane number of a fuel:

Putting special additives into the fuel which discourage auto ignition Blending high-octane fuels in with the ordinary petrol

So by practicing any of these procedures will reduce the knocking effect which comes out as aresults of using adulterated fuel.



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4.0 DEDUCTION

4.1 CONCLUSIONIt can be concluded that, we cannot stop disaster happening at filling stations but we can putsome measures in place to prevent it. The problem I tackled was disaster at filling which was due

to improper sighting of place and inadequate possession of tools and equipment and my solutiondid exactly that.I think I had a lot of knowledge and experience from this project through the many ways ofgetting information to solve the problem as well as thinking through the problem to get asolution. I had the exposure to linking my course to solve an impending societal problem.

4.2 RECOMMENDATIONA follow up on this solution to curb the problem at hand would be a very intuitive step thatwould end the problem being solved as well as other problem.Addition to the follow up, I also recommend the following:

Purchasing and transporting of inflammable petroleum products must be done with

certified plastic and metal containers as some containers are known to react or ignite in

contact with some fuel.

Periodic and regular assessment of underground fuel tanks and pumping machines at fuel

stations must be conducted by government regulatory authorities including EPA and

NPA.

Sighting of filling station in waterlogged environment must be avoided as this will lead to

high rate of tank rust or decay. Floods in such areas would transport underground leaked

fuel to the land surface and thereby inducing fire outbreaks.

Provision of mechanical protection to vulnerable structures such as fuel tanks and

liquefied petroleum gas storage areas

All electrical installation must be certified by competent electrician.

An interesting future study would be exploring other areas other than my field and

solving .problems.



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5.0 APPENDIX

5.1 COPIES OF QUESTIONNAIRESKWAME NKRUMAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

QUESTIONAIRE FOR CENG 291 PROJECTS (DISASTER PREVENTION ATFILLING STATION)

DEMOGRAPHIC DETAILS

1.01 AGE: [ ] 0-15 [ ] 16-30 [ ] 31-45 [ ] 46 above

1.02 GENDER: [ ] Male : [ ] Female

1.03 NATIONALITY: [ ] Ghanaian [ ] Other

1.04 OCCUPATION: [ ] Student [ ] Fuel attendant [ ] Driver [ ] other

1.05 RELIGION: [ ] Christianity [ ] Islam [ ] ATR

1.06 DENOMINATION: [ ] Catholic [ ] Methodist [ ] Presbyterian [ ] Pentecost [ ]Other

1.1 Does the filling station has tools and equipment to combat fire in case there is fireoutbreak? YES [ ] NO [ ]

1.2 If yes, what are some of the tools and equipment? ………………………………………..

1.3 If no why? …………………………………………………. 1.4 Do the attendants know how to use them? Yes : [ ] No : [ ]

1.5 Is there any fire alerting system at the filling station? Yes : [ ] No : [ ]

1.6 What type of fuel do you sell here?..................................................

1.7 Do you think the filling station is sited properly?

If yes, why? ………………………... If no, w hy ? ……………………........

1.8 Do you have warnings signs at this place? Yes : [ ] No : [ ]

1.9 Does the filling station has proper storage facilities? Yes : [ ] No : [ ]

1.10 How is the fuel stored? ………………………………………

1.11 What is fuel adulteration?………………………………………



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1.12 Do you know any causes of fuel adulteration? Yes : [ ] No : [ ]

1.13 If yes, list one: ………………………………………

1.14 Do you know any effect of fuel adulteration? Yes : [ ] No : [ ]

1.15 If yes, list one: ………………………………………

1.16 How do you think fuel adulteration can be stopped? .........................................

1.17 Do you have any instrument to check adulterated fuel? Yes [ ] No [ ]

1.18 If yes, name it. ……………………………………..



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5.2 LETTER OF INTRODUCTION



6.0 REFERENCES

1. www.gooddreads.com/quote/tag/problem-solving

2. www.4college.co.uk/as/df.octane.php

3. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/History-of-engineering

4. Asunafo South District Map (MOFA)

5. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/fire-hydrant

6. mofa.gov-gh/site/?page-id=1349

7. Ghana Statistical Board- Population Census 2010

8. www.myjoyonline.com/news/2015/June-4th/report-almost-100-lives-lost-in-fire-at-goil-filling-station-at-circle.phd

9. http://kufit.wordpress.com/2011/05/21/effects-of-gasoline-adulteration/

10. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/kukuom

http://www.gooddreads.com/quote/tag/problem-solving


http://www.4college.co.uk/as/df.octane.php


https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/History-of-engineering


https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/fire-hydrant



http://www.myjoyonline.com/news/2015/June-4th/report-almost-100-lives-lost-in-fire-at-goil-filling-station-at-circle.phd


http://kufit.wordpress.com/2011/05/21/effects-of-gasoline-adulteration/



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/kukuom











Documents

CENG 291 PROJECT