Technical modeling in integrated risk assessment of chemical installations

This paper presents the technical model of an Integrated Quantitative Risk Assessment method, taking into account management as well as technical design and producing risk level measures. The basic steps of the technical model consist in developing a Master Logic Diagram (MLD) delineating the major immediate causes of Loss of Containment and associated quantitative models for assessing their frequency. Appropriate management models quantify the parameters of the technical model on the basis of the safety management system of the installation. The methodology is exemplified through its application on the risk assessment of a LPG scrubbing tower of an oil refinery. A detailed technical model simulating the response of the system to various initiating events is developed, along with a detailed model simulating the influence of the plant-specific management and organizational practices. The overall effect is quantified through the frequency of release of LPG as a result of a Loss of Containment in scrubbing towers of the refinery. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.