CENG 291 PROJECT

KWAME NKRUMAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

ENGINEERING IN SOCIETY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING PETROCHEMICAL ENGINEERING (DISASTER PREVENTION AT FILLING STATIONS) ADU-BOAHENE FRANCIS 2184314 AUGUST 2015 USING KNOWLEDGE IN CHOSEN ENGINEERING FIELD TO SOLVE PROBLEMS CONFRONTING THE SOCIETY

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT My 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 making this 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 of Engineering 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 Filling Station, Mr.Kofi Asamoah who were ever willing to give me all the information I needed to source this project. I would be an ungrateful being if I do not recognize all those who helped me accumulate the necessary 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 the country. Because of this, people just setup this station at any place that they think it suits them forgetting 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 were later analysed and presented in statistical table and figures such frequency distribution table to show the respond rate and pie/bar chart to illustrate the percentage of the respondents to give a meaningful result. A link was then drawn from the analyses and measures to curb such practices were 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 FIGURES LIST OF TABLES Table 1.01: Age Distribution Table Table 1.02: Gender Distribution Table 1.03: Nationality of the people Table 1.04: Occupation of the people Table 1.05: Religious Background of the people Table 1.06: Religious Denomination of the people Table 1.1: Tools and Equipment for combating fire Table 1.7: position of the filling station Table 1.9: storage system at the filling station Table 1.12: causes of fuel adulteration Table 1.14: effects of fuel adulteration Table 1.17: devices use for checking adulteration

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LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1.01 Age Distribution Figure 1.02 Gender Distribution Figure 1.03: Nationality of the people Figure 1.04: Occupation of the people Figure 1.05: Religious Background of the people Figure 1.06: Religious Denomination of the people Figure 1.1: Tools and Equipment for combating fire Figure 1.7: position of the filling station Figure 1.9: storage system at the filling station Figure 1.12: causes of fuel adulteration Figure 1.14: effects of fuel adulteration Figure 1.17: devices use for checking adulteration Figure 1.18: Asunafo South District Map Figure 1.19: Plantain from Opanin’s Kwaku farm Figure 1.20: Agya Oppong Cocoa Plantain Table 1.21: Kwame Nkrumah Circle

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June 3rd incidence photos Figure 1.22: Underground tank at Kukuom Total Filing Station Figure 1.23: Fire Hydrant

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10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 18

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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 their chosen courses. It is to help them to identify their field, collate data concerning the challenges facing their communities and do some research on how their individual courses are suited to solve 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-solving situation, which makes them use their engineering knowledge for what is really meant to be used for.

1.2 OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT This assignment is to help students at their beginning of their course of study to understand what goes into their course as well as the main aim of their course. Many people complete their various courses not knowing what really goes into it. This assignment is put in place to help curb foreseen occurrences of such situations. It is also to help students, after being acquainted with the nitty-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 to solve 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 to solve the problems in their society.

1.3 A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF REPORT CONTENT This report contains the information about the community in which I live, Kukuom, and the use of 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 solving societal problems. It contains some images of the problem faced and all the procedures used to help in the problem solving.

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2.0 METHODOLOGY 2.1 IDENTIFICATION OF PROBLEM There are many problems that Kukuom face as a town. Some of these problems are: WaterBorne Diseases like Buruli Ulcer, Indiscriminate dumping of refuse, improper sighting of filling stations 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 might occur due to improper sighting of filling station. I moved to the site and made general survey again 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 „cold arms.‟ 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 (petrochemical engineering). This made me conclude that „disaster at filling station” which I could confidently attribute 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 tallied with my findings was what I was really aiming at. This became 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 to visit the Planning Department of the Asunafo South District and they were unable to provide it to me. I was then directed to the Health Department and all to no avail. I went to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) and they were able to provide me with both the soft and hard copy of the map for the study area.

2.3 COLLECTION OF DATA The data I have provided in this report were compiled from a survey of a whole lot of areas I could gather information from. This project discloses to me the many sources where information could 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 for me to solve. I made a questionnaire to be given to the individual who were my target group and I latter put together all the facts using statistical table and figures such frequency distribution table to show the respond rate and pie/bar chart to illustrate the percentage of the respondents to give a meaningful result.

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2.4 PRESENTATION AND ANALYSES OF DATA TABLE: 1.01 AGE DISTRIBUTION TABLE

FREQ. 12 10 8 6 4 2 0

0-15 16-30 31-45 46 above 0-15

16-30 31-45

AGE(X) FREQ. PERCENT. 0-15 0 0 16-30 12 54.5 31-45 10 45.5 46 above 0 0 TOTAL 22 100

46 above

Figure 1.01: AGE DISTRIBUTION ANALYSIS: From table 1.01, 22 respondents representing 100%, 54.5% of the respondents fall between the 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 fuel station 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.

FREQUENCY

FEMALE

GENDER Male Female Total

MALE Male Female

FREQUENCY 13 9 22

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 filling station business and this confirms Ghana Statistical Board- Population Census 2010 while the female are also chasing them in search for the job.

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TABLE 1.03: NATIONALITY OF THE PEOPLE

NATIONALITY FREQUENCY Ghanaian 21 Other 1 Total 22

FREQUENCY 25 20 15

Ghanaian

10

Other

5 0 Ghanaian

Other

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

FREQUENCY Other 23% Driving 27%

OCCUPATION Student Fuel Attendant Driving Other Total

Student 18% Fuel Attendan t 32%

FREQUENCY 4 7 6 5 22

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 attendants were many because they were the major target group

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TABLE 1.05: RELIGIOUS BACKGROUND OF THE PEOPLE

FREQUENCY RELIGION Christianity Islam ATR TOTAL

20 15 10

Christianity

5

Islam

0

ATR

FREQUENCY 19 3 0 22

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

FREQUENCY 6 4 2

Catholic Methodist Presbyterian

0

Pentecost

DENOMINATION Catholic Methodist Presbyterian Pentecost Other Total

FREQUENCY

Other

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 the total population

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6 5 1 2 5 22

TABLE 1.1 Tools and equipment for combating fire.

FREQUENCY

RESPONDS Yes No Total

25 20 15

Yes

10

No

FREQUENCY 22 0 22

5 0 Yes

No

Table 1.1 indicate that all the 22 respondents said „YES‟, the filling station have tools and equipment for combating fire. CONCLUSION: it can be concluded that, all the filling stations have tools and equipment necessary to 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 controlling fire. 1.4: All the respondents answered „yes‟ to question 1.4 that all the fuel attendants know how to use the tools and equipment to control the fire in case there is outbreak. 1.5: All the respondents answered „yes‟ to question 1.5 that, there is fire alerting system at the filling station. 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

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TABLE: 1.7: POSITION OF THE STATION RESPONDS Yes No Abstention Total

Yes

No

FREQUENCY 10 10 2 22

Abstential

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.

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TABLE 1.9: STORAGE SYSTEM AT THE FILLING STATION

FREQUENCY NO 18%

RESPONDS YES NO Total

FREQUENCY 18 4 22

YES 82%

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 whiles 18% 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 a source of water (well) nearer to the tank and in case there is a leakage it might affect the water which in turn 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 or water with petrol/diesel to get more quantity for sale whiles the other 50% said nothing about that.

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TABLE 1.12 CAUSES OF FUEL ADULTERATION

RESPONDS Yes No Total

RESPONDS No

RESPONDS 13 9 22

Yes No

Yes 0

10

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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 fuel adulteration mostly the fuel attendants followed by the drivers. This is because they could be practically involved 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 this to get more quantity to sell to get more money.

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TABLE 1.14: EFFECTS OF FUEL ADULTERATION

FREQUENCY

RESPONDS Yes No Total

No 41%

FREQUENCY 13 9 22

Yes 59%

Figure 1.14: EFFECTS OF FUEL ADULTERATION 13 respondents out of the total respondents know the effects of fuel adulteration whiles 9 people responded 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 an act.

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TABLE 1.17: DEVICES USE FOR CHECKING ADULTERATED FUEL

RESPONDS No Yes Total

FREQUENCY

FREQUENCY 21 1 22

25 20 15

No

10

Yes

5 0 No

Yes

Figure 1.17: DEVICES USE FOR CHECKING ADULTERATED FUEL

1.18: The device the respondent gave was mass spectrometer.

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3.0 DISCUSSION OF RESULTS 3.1 DESCRIPTION OF COMMUNITY A).LOCATION AND SIZE Kukuom 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-Bibiani road. 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). POPULATION Kukuom happens to be one of the growing towns in the country. It has a population of about 26,909 people. It is also one of the few towns which have more males than female (Ghana Statistical Board- Population Census 2010). The population of the town has been into three broad economic 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). CLIMATE The town experiences the wet semi-equatorial type of climate. The temperature of the town is uniformly high 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 from 125cm-175cm. The major rains occur between April and July with the minor September and October.

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E) VEGETATION The town lies within the semi-deciduous forest belt of Ghana. The forest contains large species of trees. Some of which are Kyenkyen, Dohama, Kusia/Opepe, Penkwa/Sapele, Onyina/Ceiba etc. 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 people interviewed indicate that they can read and write. G). RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION Christianity has the largest (71.0%) mainly the Catholics, followed by Islam (16.1%) and African Traditional Religion (4.6%). A significant proportion (7.8%) reported affiliation no church.

3.2 NATURE AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE IDENTIFIED PROBLEMS Many people think the most booming business nowadays in the country is the establishment of fuel (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. The establishment 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 to claim about hundred (100) lives (Graphic Online, 2015) was due to improper sighting of station and also some necessary measures that needed to be put in place but over looked. This situation is 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 houses are just about 20-50 meters away from the station. According to Graphic Online (dated: 5th 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 more dangerous 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 case there is fire outbreak. Most of the filling stations I visited have oil spillages on the ground. In case 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 not tightened well was not also different from my area. The tank which is buried underground with only 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 (16th July, 2015) was great experience. The cover of the underground tank was opened to me to observe and I saw it that the valves 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 the underground fuel in underground tank. The chemical changes colour from purple to red in contact with water. I placed a sample of the paste in my palm and water was poured on it to observe whether it will change and it really did. The paste is applied regularly to check whether water has entered the tank. I then asked some of the filling station I visited whether they have tools and equipment to combat fire in case there is fire outbreak and each of the four filling stations was able to tell me they have sand, fire extinguisher and other fire alerting system that will sound in case there is fire setup at any of the premises. I was curious to check the expiring date - surprisingly most of the chemicals 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 and told myself that the June 3rd incidence is that far from us. As to whether this catastrophic incidence 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 asked them if they know something about fuel adulteration and about 50% responded „yes‟ and 50% said „no‟. The 50% people which I got as a results from my questionnaire told me that although they know something about fuel adulteration but they don‟t have instrument to check whether the fuel has been adulterated but if the fuel receive from the petrol tankers is adulterated, the drivers which 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 for adulterated fuel (petrol), the smoke is very dark but for unadulterated fuel, the smoke is bluish in colour. 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 to the questions concerning the fuel adulteration. Consequently, most of the adulterated fuels pose problems to the vehicles and even the society as well. Firstly, the petrol adulterated with kerosene would make the fuel susceptible to knock- an abnormal 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 head gasket. Secondly, the consequences of fuel adulteration range from environmental to economic. The increased emission resulting from the use of the adulterated fuel has direct environmental consequences. 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 transport sector, 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 to the government. 21

All this while, it looks as if no one cares and none is ready to voice how this improper sitting of filling stations could be brought to halt. Well, the solution lies in our own hands and the ball is in our 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 ITS DIFFERENT BRANCHES Engineering is the practical application of proven scientific knowledge in the design, building and the construction of machines roads, bridges, electrical apparatus, chemical etc with the aim of solving impending societal problems and making living conditions better. Engineering as a field of science has existed since ancient times as humans devised fundamental inventions 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 used in war. For example, a catapult. Engineering in our days has been diverte-d into so many specializations whose individual activities are very much similar to the engineering used in those days because of their main aim to solve societal problems. It is just that each of the diversions has its own field in which there is much 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 show the direction of operation and the mission of the individual divisions. eg in petrochemical engineering, the petrochemical shows what the engineering is used for. Apart from technical knowledge and subject skills, you need soft skills such as good communication skills, along with creative thinking, commitment and confidence. Perseverance is one of the keys of engineering as you will be surrounded with various challenges all the time and should be prepared for long hours of work. The drive and desire to innovate along with imagination 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 than 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 from chemical engineering but only that its gives a specific chemical that the engineering uses in this respect. Petrochemical engineering is a specialized branch of Chemical Engineering (a branch of engineering which deals with the processes of converting raw material or chemicals into more useful or valuable forms) which deal with the operations of refining and petrochemical technology. The word preceding the engineering, which is “petrochemical”, seeks to imply what 22

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 activities that encompass how the reservation and production of the petrochemical products could be done after exploration. One who obtains a Degree, Masters or PhD in this field is one who is qualified to be called a Petrochemical Engineer. The petrochemical Industry has its inception some 70 years ago with the production of isopropyl alcohol from propylene. The word petrochemical is coined to describe the chemicals obtained directly or indirectly from petroleum hydrocarbon and natural gas. This is derived from a combination of “petro” (which means petrol) and chemical (anything relating to chemistry). In this regard, petrochemical engineering is the practical application of the scientific knowledge on the substances gotten from oil or natural gas. The production of petrochemicals is one of the dominant industries of the developed countries, a driving force and a future goal for developing countries. With the account of catalytic reforming, aromatic hydrocarbons have become available 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 were considered as petrochemicals were first made out of wood and coal.

Aliphatic - hydrocarbons characterized by a straight- or branched-chain; can include single or multiple bonds. Aliphatics are not cyclic; they do not have a ring structure. The simplest member 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, then single, 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 to make medicine, crop protection chemicals and many other beneficial products. It is also used as a 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 synthesis and 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 by various 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 organic compounds. Class of chemicals that typically exist as salts, acids and alkalines, as well as certain gases and elemental compounds. Carbon dioxide, although it contains a carbon atom, is considered 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; another important 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 chemical synthesis 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 an antiknock 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 a solvent and in the blending of gasoline. Below are some products from the crude oil (their market products.

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intermediates and derivatives) and the

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

Primary industry Deals with refining (also known as affining) the petroleum products drilled into basic chemicals this 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 industrial chemicals and plastics products. These olefins are produced by steam cracking of natural gas liquids like ethane and propane. Olefins are the building blocks for a wide range of materials such as solvents, detergents and adhesives. They are the basis for polymers and oligomers used in plastics resins, fibers, elastomers, lubricants and gels.  Aromatics (like benzene toluene and xylene isomers) which sources of solvents detergents 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..Catalytic reforming of naphtha produces aromatics.  Synthesis gas is a gas is a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen used to make ammonia and methanol.

Secondary industry This 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 industry as their raw materials. They process these raw materials into final finished products ready for the market. It is through this industry that serves as an intermediary between the refineries and the customers who demand for such produce. Manufactures use xylenes that is an olefin to produce plastics and synthetic fibers. Butadiene, an aromatic, is used in making synthetic rubber. Ammonia, derived from the synthetic gas, is used to make fertilizer urea and methanol is used as a solvent and chemical intermediate.

3.4 DESCRIPTION OF HOW ENGINEERING FIELD COULD SOLVE THE 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 once made a statement and I quote ‘ if I had an hour to solve a problem I ‘d spend 55 minutes thinking about and 5 minutes thinking about solutions.’ This simple means that before man can solve any problem he encounters, he needs to think and even go beyond, meditating on the problem and bring genuine ideas that can help him solve the problem without wasting much time on the problem. As the adage goes „Engineers are problem solvers‟, every problem faced in the society needs at least some engineering principles and concepts to solve it. Solving a problem now will help curb other problems that might erupt some days to come. I the next paragraphs, the problem identified in my area would be solve using knowledge from my field of studies (petrochemical Engineering). The solution which is „DISASTER PREVENTION AT FILING STATION‟ would help curb 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 outreaches should be organized in my area (Kukuom) to educate the inhabitants about the problem the improper sighting of place might bring. The government and other relevant stakeholders should engage the petrochemical Engineer and the GSA on key issues so that the knowledge and expertise of Association would provide an effective framework of safety measure which could be adopted to help prevent disaster I the near future. Authorities such as Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and National Petroleum Authority (NPA) must be consulted before 26

any filling station is constructed. If the attention of these authorities is not consulted, the owner must be brought to justice. There should be law to punish people who violate the law concerning the establishment of these filling stations. Any filling station which is operating less than 500m away from human settlements should not be allowed to operate. If such law is established is will prevent people from establishing filling station which is nearer to human settlement. Secondly, Fire Protection Service Companies should be tasked with the inspection of fire extinguishers placed at these places. From the analysis, it was deduced that the tools and equipment for combating fire at the filling station were limited as in people only know of sand and fire extinguishers. Other devices such as fire blanket and fire hydrant should also be introduced at the filling stations. A fire hydrant is an active fire protection measure and connection point by which firefighters can tap into water supply. The user attaches a hose to the fire hydrant and then opens a valve on the hydrant to provide a powerful flow of water on the order of 350 kPa. This user can attach this hose to a fire engine, which can use a powerful pump to boost the water pressure and possibly split it into multiple streams. When a firefighter is operating a hydrant, he/she typically wears appropriate personal protective equipment such as gloves and a helmet with face shield worn. High pressure water coursing through a potential aging and corroding hydrant 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 educated on the octane scale (number). This is a scale where iso-octane 100 (minimal ignition under 27

pressure) and heptanes is 0 (easily ignites under pressure). Octane rating decreases with an increase in the carbon chain and increases with carbon chain branching. It is very important to know 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 increase the 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 a results of using adulterated fuel.

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4.0 DEDUCTION 4.1 CONCLUSION It can be concluded that, we cannot stop disaster happening at filling stations but we can put some 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 solution did exactly that. I think I had a lot of knowledge and experience from this project through the many ways of getting information to solve the problem as well as thinking through the problem to get a solution. I had the exposure to linking my course to solve an impending societal problem.

4.2 RECOMMENDATION A follow up on this solution to curb the problem at hand would be a very intuitive step that would 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 QUESTIONNAIRES KWAME NKRUMAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING QUESTIONAIRE FOR CENG 291 PROJECTS (DISASTER PREVENTION AT FILLING STATION) DEMOGRAPHIC DETAILS 1.01 AGE: [ ] 0-15

[ ] 16-30

1.02 GENDER: [ ] Male

[ ] 31-45 [ ] 46 above

: [ ] 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 fire outbreak? 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, why ? ……………………........ 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?……………………………………… 30

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

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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-goilfilling-station-at-circle.phd 9. http://kufit.wordpress.com/2011/05/21/effects-of-gasoline-adulteration/ 10. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/kukuom

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