Faisal Khan

Bio: Faisal Khan is an academic researcher from Memorial University of Newfoundland. The author has contributed to research in topics: Risk analysis & Risk assessment. The author has an hindex of 70, co-authored 705 publications receiving 21281 citations. Previous affiliations of Faisal Khan include Royal Hobart Hospital & Australian Maritime College.

Dynamic safety risk analysis of offshore drilling

Abstract: The exploration and production of oil and gas involve the drilling of wells using either one or a combination of three drilling techniques based on drilling fluid density: conventional overbalanced drilling, managed pressure drilling and underbalanced drilling. The conventional overbalanced drilling involves drilling of wells with mud which exerts higher hydrostatic bottom-hole pressure than the formation pore pressure. Unlike the conventional overbalanced drilling, underbalanced drilling involves designing the hydrostatic pressure of the drilling fluid to be lower than the pore pressure of the formation being drilled. During circulation, the equivalent circulating density is used to determine the bottom-hole pressure conditions. Due to lower hydrostatic pressure, underbalanced drilling portends higher safety risk than its alternatives of conventional overbalanced drilling and managed pressure drilling. The safety risk includes frequent kicks from the well and subsequent blowout with potential threat to human, equipments and the environment. Safety assessment and efficient control of well is critical to ensure a safe drilling operation. Traditionally, safety assessment is done using static failure probabilities of drilling components which failed to represent a specific case. However, in this present study, a dynamic safety assessment approach for is presented. This approach is based on Bow-tie analysis and real time barriers failure probability assessment of offshore drilling operations involving subsurface Blowout Preventer. The Bow-tie model is used to represent the potential accident scenarios, their causes and the associated consequences. Real time predictive models for the failure probabilities of key barriers are developed and used in conducting dynamic risk assessment of the drilling operations. Using real time observed data, potential accident probabilities and associated risks are updated and used for safety assessment. This methodology can be integrated into a real time risk monitoring device for field application during drilling operations.

Water quality evaluation and trend analysis in selected watersheds of the atlantic region of canada

Abstract: Water quality indices (WQIs) have been developed to assess the suitability of water for a variety of uses. These indices reflect the status of water quality in lakes, streams, rivers, and reservoirs. The concept of WQIs is based on a comparison of the concentration of contaminants with the respective environmental standards. The number, frequency, and magnitude by which the environmental standards for specific variables are not met in a given time period are reflected in WQIs. Further, the water quality trend analysis predicts the behavior of the water quality parameters and overall water quality in the time domain. In this paper, the concept of WQI was applied to three selected watersheds of Atlantic region: the Mersey River, the Point Wolfe River, and the Dunk River sites. To have robust study, two different water quality indices are used: Canadian Water Quality Index (CWQI), and British Columbia Water Quality Index (BWQI). The complete study was conducted in two steps. The first step was to organize and process the data into a format compatible with WQI analysis. After processing the input data, the WQI was calculated. The second step outlined in the paper discusses detailed trend analysis using linear and quadratic models for all the three sites. As per the 25 years trend analysis, overall water quality for agriculture use observed an improving trend at all the three sites studied. Water quality for raw water used for drinking (prior to treatment) and aquatic uses has shown improving trend at Point Wolfe River. It is further observed that pH, SO4, and NO3 concentrations are improving at Dunk River, Mersey River, and Point Wolfe River sites. To ascertain the reliability and significance of the trend analysis, a detailed error analysis and parametric significance tests were also conducted It was observed that for most of the sites and water uses quadratic trend models were a better fit than the linear models.

Development of a risk-based maintenance (RBM) strategy for a power-generating plant

Abstract: The unexpected failures, the down time associated with such failures, the loss of production and, the higher maintenance costs are major problems in any process plant. Risk-based maintenance (RBM) approach helps in designing an alternative strategy to minimize the risk resulting from breakdowns or failures. Adapting a risk-based maintenance strategy is essential in developing cost-effective maintenance policies. The RBM methodology is comprised of four modules: identification of the scope, risk assessment, risk evaluation, and maintenance planning. Using this methodology, one is able to estimate risk caused by the unexpected failure as a function of the probability and the consequence of failure. Critical equipment can be identified based on the level of risk and a pre-selected acceptable level of risk. Maintenance of equipment is prioritized based on the risk, which helps in reducing the overall risk of the plant. The case study of a power-generating unit in the Holyrood thermal power generation plant is used to illustrate the methodology. Results indicate that the methodology is successful in identifying the critical equipment and in reducing the risk of resulting from the failure of the equipment. Risk reduction is achieved through the adoption of a maintenance plan which not only increases the reliability of the equipment but also reduces the cost of maintenance including the cost of failure.

Integrated inherent safety index (I2SI): A tool for inherent safety evaluation

Abstract: Inherent safety is a proactive approach for loss prevention and risk management. Considering the lifetime costs of a process and its operation, an inherent safety approach can lead to a cost-optimal option. Inherent safety may be achieved at any stage of process design; however, its application at the early stages of process design yields the best results. Despite being an attractive and cost-effective approach, the inherent safety methodology is not widely used. Many reasons have been attributed to this lack of widespread use; the nonavailability of systematic tools for the application of inherent safety principles is perhaps the most important reason. This paper presents a conceptual framework of an integrated inherent safety index (I2SI). It is called an integrated index because the procedure, when fully developed, is intended to consider the life cycle of the process with economic evaluation and hazard potential identification for each option. The I2SI is composed of subindices which account for hazard potential, inherent safety potential, and add-on control requirements. An application of the I2SI is also discussed. © 2004 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Process Saf Prog 23: 136–148, 2004

Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning

Abstract: Probability Distributions.- Linear Models for Regression.- Linear Models for Classification.- Neural Networks.- Kernel Methods.- Sparse Kernel Machines.- Graphical Models.- Mixture Models and EM.- Approximate Inference.- Sampling Methods.- Continuous Latent Variables.- Sequential Data.- Combining Models.

Principles of Neural Science

Abstract: I have developed "tennis elbow" from lugging this book around the past four weeks, but it is worth the pain, the effort, and the aspirin. It is also worth the (relatively speaking) bargain price. Including appendixes, this book contains 894 pages of text. The entire panorama of the neural sciences is surveyed and examined, and it is comprehensive in its scope, from genomes to social behaviors. The editors explicitly state that the book is designed as "an introductory text for students of biology, behavior, and medicine," but it is hard to imagine any audience, interested in any fragment of neuroscience at any level of sophistication, that would not enjoy this book. The editors have done a masterful job of weaving together the biologic, the behavioral, and the clinical sciences into a single tapestry in which everyone from the molecular biologist to the practicing psychiatrist can find and appreciate his or

Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology数据库介绍及实例

Abstract: 介绍了Kirk—Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology（化工技术百科全书）（第五版）电子图书网络版数据库，并对该数据库使用方法和检索途径作出了说明，且结合实例简单地介绍了该数据库的检索方法。