On the thermal rupture of 1.9m3 propane pressure vessels with defects in their thermal protection system

Application of Graph Theory to Cost-Effective Fire Protection of Chemical Plants During Domino Effects

In the present study, we have introduced a methodology based on graph theory and multicriteria decision analysis for cost-effective fire protection of chemical plants subject to fire-induced domino effects. By modeling domino effects in chemical plants as a directed graph, the graph centrality measures such as out-closeness and betweenness scores can be used to identify the installations playing a key role in initiating and propagating potential domino effects. It is demonstrated that active fire protection of installations with the highest out-closeness score and passive fire protection of installations with the highest betweenness score are the most effective strategies for reducing the vulnerability of chemical plants to fire-induced domino effects. We have employed a dynamic graph analysis to investigate the impact of both the availability and the degradation of fire protection measures over time on the vulnerability of chemical plants. The results obtained from the graph analysis can further be prioritized using multicriteria decision analysis techniques such as the method of reference point to find the most cost-effective fire protection strategy.

Identification of fireproofing zones in Oil&Gas facilities by a risk-based procedure

Fire is among the more dangerous accident scenarios that may affect the process and chemical industry. Beside the immediate and direct harm to workers and population, fire may also cause damages to structures, which may trigger escalation resulting in severe secondary scenarios. Fireproofing is usually applied to improve the capacity of structures to maintain their integrity during a fire. Past accidents evidenced that the available standards for fireproofing application in onshore chemical and process plants do not consider all the fire scenarios that may cause structural damage. In the present study a methodology was developed for the identification of the zones where fireproofing should be applied. The effect of both pool fires and jet fires was accounted. Simplified criteria, based on radiative heat intensity, were provided for the identification of the fire protection zones. A risk-based procedure was proposed for the selection of significant reference release scenarios to be used in the evaluation of worst credible fire consequences.

Safety assessment in plant layout design using indexing approach: implementing inherent safety perspective. Part 2-Domino Hazard Index and case study

The design of layout plans requires adequate assessment tools for the quantification of safety performance. The general focus of the present work is to introduce an inherent safety perspective at different points of the layout design process. In particular, index approaches for safety assessment and decision-making in the early stages of layout design are developed and discussed in this two-part contribution. Part 1 (accompanying paper) of the current work presents an integrated index approach for safety assessment of early plant layout. In the present paper (Part 2), an index for evaluation of the hazard related to the potential of domino effects is developed. The index considers the actual consequences of possible escalation scenarios and scores or ranks the subsequent accident propagation potential. The effects of inherent and passive protection measures are also assessed. The result is a rapid quantification of domino hazard potential that can provide substantial support for choices in the early stages of layout design. Additionally, a case study concerning selection among various layout options is presented and analyzed. The case study demonstrates the use and applicability of the indices developed in both parts of the current work and highlights the value of introducing inherent safety features early in layout design.