Introduction You will research an engineering disaster of your choice that has occurred in history and write an informative research paper based on your findings. Please note that there is a list of...

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Introduction


You will research an engineering disaster of your choice that has occurred in history and write an informative research paper based on your findings. Please note that there is a list of prohibited topics.


When you are deciding which disaster to choose, be sure that the disaster was related to an engineering failure (e.g. a flaw in the design) as opposed to a poor ethical choice that caused the disaster (e.g. a company knowingly does not fully disclose information that ultimately causes bodily harm). As well, be sure to avoid disasters that were more accidental in nature (e.g. Japan nuclear accident in 2011 due to the tsunami–in this case, a severe natural event caused the disaster).


Banned Disaster Topics List


Do not write your paper on any of the topics listed in the following section. These topics are banned because:




  • they are too large in scope for this assignment;




  • they have been done in the past and students struggled with them;




  • they are not really engineering disasters;




  • they have been used as examples in this class, and we want you to choose a


    topic we have not discussed or provided you information about;




  • they are too recent, and definitive information about their exact cause or proper


    academic sources about them are not yet available; or




  • they are, for other various reasons, simply not good topics.


    Note that the topics change from year to year, so do not take the word of students who've taken the class in the past as to whether your topic is okay. Always check this list for yourself.


    List of Banned Topics


    The following are the current banned topics:






  • No topic in which the accident occurred prior to the year 1925 (focus on modern engineering accidents)




  • Sinking of the Titanic




  • Space Shuttle Challenger




  • Tacoma Narrows Suspension Bridge




  • Kansas City Hyatt Regency Walkways Collapse




  • Chernobyl Nuclear Accident






  • 9/11 (World Trade Center collapse)




  • Love Canal




  • Ford Pinto




  • The Concorde Crash




  • Quebec Bridge




  • St. Francis Dam




  • East Cleveland Gas Explosion




  • Sinking of the Vasa




  • Leaning Tower of Pisa




  • Hindenburg Airship Explosion




  • MGM Grand Hotel Fire


    Choosing an appropriate topic


    When you consider the disaster, be sure tofocus on the engineering aspectsrelated to the disaster. You should be able to answer the following questions related to the disaster:


    -How is it anengineeringdisaster?
    -Which particular aspects of the disaster are the result of apoor engineering choice or practice?
    -How is it relevant to thestudyandpracticeofengineering?
    -Who was at fault? Whatcausedthe accident?
    -Whatfuture precautionsare recommended?
    -Were any new laws, practices, orregulationsimplemented as a result of the disaster?
    -What was the overallimpact on engineering practice?
    -Did the accidentchange engineering practice(either in general or in a particular field)? e.g. The Challenger disaster lead to significant policy changes at NASA and ultimately to Whistleblower legislation.


    The majority of your paper should focus on the analysis of why the accident was an engineering disaster, how it occurred, and how it is relevant to the study and practice of engineering.


    Do not spend more than a couple of pages describing the actual disaster. Your focus is not on describing the disaster, but rather, you are to focus on analyzing the disaster as it relates to engineering and what the engineering cause was for the disaster.


    Sources


    Use appropriate academic sources. Most engineering disasters have been officially investigated, and thus, there are reports that are frequently published and available on the Internet or through the library. Be sure to use credible sources and reference it properly.


    The book “When Technology Fails” is available at the library on reserve. You can sign itout at the reserve desk. Additionally, there are several other books on engineering disasters in the library.




Instructions


The result of this assignment, which you will submit through UR Courses and Turnitin, will be a formal research paper. It is expected that you will use the tools you have learned in class that are related to: outlining, referencing, writing style, organization, and academic writing expectations.


This paper is a research report, and not an essay. You are expected to demonstrate your ability to critically think when analyzing the disaster as it relates to engineering. The following outline is a guideline you may use in writing your report and it is recommended that you include each of the sections. However, it is expected that you will personalize it through sub-sections, additional sections, etc., in order to meet the needs of your report.


- Title Page
- Abstract
- Table of Contents
- List of Tables (if required) - List of Figures (if required) - Introduction
- Relevant body sections


osections and sub-sections might include: analysis of cause, impacts on


engineering practice, recommendations for future practice, etc. - Conclusion


- References (using APA referencing format that you practiced in your first assignment)
- Appendices (if any)


The body of the paper should be 10-12 pages in length, double spaced. This length is for the content (from Introduction to Conclusion) and does not include the abstract, table of contents, references, appendices, or list of tables and figures. The font should be 12 point, Times New Roman. The margin should be one inch (or 2.54 cm) on the top, bottom and both sides. It is expected that you number the pages, since you will include
a table of contents. Paragraphs should be separated from each other with a blank line (i.e. double spaced between paragraphs). It is also expected that you number your sections (and sub-sections) that are within the body of your paper (e.g. 1.0 Introduction... 1.1 Objective... 1.2 Scope of topic... 2.0 The Sinking of the Titanic... 2.1 The Design of the Titanic... 2.2 Impacts of the accident... etc.)

untitled-document-bhm11z11.pdf
Answered Same DaySep 15, 2021

Answer To: Introduction You will research an engineering disaster of your choice that has occurred in history...

Himanshu answered on Sep 30 2021
131 Votes
Contents
Abstract    2
Introduction    3
History of the factory    4
How did it happen?    5
What Caused the Leakage?    5
Post-Leakage    5
Safety measures that should have been practiced    7
Laws changed but not followed    8
Lessons Learned    9
Conclusion    10
References    11
Abstract
Natural or manmade disasters can happen anywhere and at any time, but the tragedy of the Bhopal gas remains unparalleled. It is, until now, the worst technological tragedy in human history. In December 1984, the Bhopal Gas Tragedy happened, releasing about 41 tonnes of deadly MIC in the night. More than 3000 people died and over the next generation continued life-long suffering, with some genetic defects. This occurred in a plant owned in a developing country in India by a multinational Union Carbide Company. The tragic events have forever changed the chemical industry (CPI). One or more of the key reasons for these disasters is that management’s attitude towards protection is indifferent, that the regulatory bodies apply the current legislation lately and also that the legal processes have extraordinary delays. Such conditions can occur irrespective of a country's level of growth. This study highlights the incidents, the people's perspectives, the lessons learned and the future. Thus, with fundamental research into the causes of accidents and a step towards inherently safer designs, we can see more major improvements in process safety.
Introduction
On December 3rd, 1984, past midnight, poisonous gas escaping from the Union Carbide factory in Madhya Pradesh City Bhopal killed directly, killing thousands of civilians. The occurrence is now known to have killed more than 3000 people, called the catastrophe at Bhopal or the tragedy at Bhopal gas. Early in the morning of 3 December 1984, thousands and hundreds of innocent men were crowded in the hospital with breathtaking breath and frozen mouth, reverberation, terror and panic on their faces and hopes that they will stick to life. The helpless doctors had no information or no idea how to administer antidotes for killer gas that had escape into the air from the plant of Union Carbide India Ltd. They did all they could – to make the last few minutes more secure for the victims.   Then we find several promising findings, which helped to reveal some mysteries of this big industrial tragedy, thanks to the joint efforts of autopsies, toxicological tests, clinical care of the victims and epidemiological investigation. Bhopal Gas Tragedy (BGT), dated from 3 December 1984, is unprecedented in the annals of chemical disaster history even after so many years due to the sudden leakage of 42 tonnes, methyl isocyanate (MIC). There have been over 3,000 deaths and many more doomed to long-term morbidity. There were no precedents of lost human lives and the permanent paralysis for many survivors and the scale of the tragedy has awakened worldwide consciousness.
The result was new legislation which would improve process protection, establish protection plant inherent in safety, enhanced court decisions, pro-active media and NGOs, public rights awareness and CPI management prepared to invest in equipment and training related to safety. It follows, however, that the CPI’s devastating ability was not to have destroyed thousands in the world.
History of the factory
The era followed the Green Revolution. India was afflicted by frequent droughts leading to starvation. After centuries of British rule and misrule, India was reduced to 75 percent of its people' living standards at poverty level. After partition, the north-eastern region of India endured two droughts and subsequent famines. This brought this area to the world's attention. Several projects of research were subsequently established to adapt to Indian conditions for the dry-resistant varieties of wheat from Sonora area of Mexico. This form of wheat had a greater inflorescence and was immune to wind and rain. However, the fertilizer requirement was higher and the pesticide requirement was greater. The Indian government has started authorizing pesticide plants in India, and in 1969 in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, the Indian pesticide factory was opened. The pesticide carbaryl, also named Sevin, was developed by this plant. Phosgene, which was developed through the reaction of chlorine carbon monoxide, was the first intermediate in this process. Phosgene reacted to methyl isocyanate (MIC), a deadly gas triggering the Bhopal tragic events, in turn with monomethyl amine. MIC was reacted to carbaryl using alpha-naphthol. Therefore, MIC is highly combustible and was stored in two storage tanks in the Bhopal plant under a nitrogen blanket. This location on the plant’s premises was not well known as the plant was situated in heavily populated zones. The municipal authorities of Bhopal opposed this site, but the central government approved it. By failure of the valve, water entering the storage tanks on the evening of 2 December 1984 and reacting with nitrogen, the MIC leaked.
How did it happen?
After midnight on the intervening night of 2-3 December, the leak of gas in Union Carbide (now known as Dow Chemicals) was confirmed. It occurred at the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, plant number C. As the cool morning breeze emerged, the poisonous gas from the Union Carbide plant, was driven into the town and killing the people of both awake and asleep. A few hours after the explosion, about 3,000 people were killed by poisonous gas. It was due to an exothermic reaction triggered by water in the tank that the pressure was instantly increased. The safety valve was broken and the gas escaped by this pressure. This gas leak was a contingency for which the plant was meant to be prepared. This tragedy was caused by the failure and inoperativeness of the critical systems for protection and by the strict compliance with the safety procedures. The gas and other chemicals leaked from the Union Carbide factory have been estimated at approximately 40 tonnes. Methyl isocyanate is highly toxic and can cause death within minutes of inhaling the gas when its atmospheric concentration exceeds 21ppm (parts per million). The level was many times higher in Bhopal.
What Caused the...
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