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Emergency response in cascading scenarios triggered by natural events

Ricci, Federica (author), Yang, M. (author), Reniers, G.L.L.M.E. (author), Cozzani, Valerio (author)

Emergency response is a procedural safety barrier of paramount importance for the mitigation of fire scenarios and the prevention of escalation. However, in Natech scenarios, emergency response may be affected by the natural event impacting the site. Indeed, when contrasting Natech accidents, emergency responders have to face both the natural...

journal article 2024

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Dynamic risk assessment of chemical process systems using the System-Theoretic accident model and process approach (STAMP) in combination with cascading failure propagation model (CFPM)

Sun, Hao (author), Wang, Haiqing (author), Yang, M. (author), Reniers, G.L.L.M.E. (author)

To maintain continuous production, chemical plant operators may ignore faults or handle faults online rather than shutting down process systems. However, interaction and interdependence links between components in a digitalized process system are substantial. Thus, faults will be propagated to downstream nodes, potentially leading to risk...

journal article 2024

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Risk assessment methods for process safety, process security and resilience in the chemical process industry: A thorough literature review

Bin Ab Rahim, M.S. (author), Reniers, G.L.L.M.E. (author), Yang, M. (author), Bajpai, Shailendra (author)

This paper presents a systematic literature review of risk assessment methods in the chemical process industry (CPI), focusing on process safety, process security, and resilience. We analyzed peer-reviewed articles from 2000 to 2022 using the PRISMA methodology and identified twelve predominant methods. Our findings reveal a shift towards...

journal article 2024

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Optimizing safety barrier allocation to prevent domino effects in large-scale chemical clusters using graph theory and optimization algorithms

Zhang, Muchen (author), Li, Zelin (author), Hou, Shuya (author), Deng, Siyu (author), Reniers, G.L.L.M.E. (author), Yang, M. (author), Zhang, Bin (author)

Domino effects are high-impact low-probability events that can have catastrophic consequences. To prevent and to reduce risks related to such events, safety barriers (SBs) are crucial. However, the initiation, propagation, and stopping processes of domino effects are characterized with complexity and uncertainties and hence they are...

journal article 2024

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Buckling failure analysis of storage tanks under the synergistic effects of fire and wind loads

Chen, Chao (author), Chen, Hang (author), Mo, Li (author), Xiao, Shenbin (author), Li, Changjun (author), Yang, M. (author), Reniers, G.L.L.M.E. (author)

Fire-induced domino effect is one of the main threats to hazardous material storage tanks, and many attempts have been conducted to assess the vulnerability of storage tanks exposed to fire to evaluate domino effect risk. However, past research ignored the influence of wind load on the thermal buckling behavior of storage tanks exposed to...

journal article 2024

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An agent-based resilience model of oil tank farms exposed to earthquakes

Tan, Xinxin (author), Xiao, Shenbin (author), Yang, Yu (author), Khakzad, Nima (author), Reniers, G.L.L.M.E. (author), Chen, Chao (author)

Frequent unpredictable earthquake disasters such as the Turkey Earthquake in 2023 pose an increasing threat to oil tank farms since they may trigger major accidents and domino effects, resulting in casualties, economic losses, and environmental pollution. Unpredictable earthquakes are definitely difficult to prevent and thus resilience...

journal article 2024

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Cost-effective maintenance of safety and security barriers in the chemical process industries via genetic algorithm

Yuan, S. (author), Reniers, G.L.L.M.E. (author), Yang, M. (author), Bai, Y. (author)

Chemical plants face safety hazards and security threats that may induce catastrophic scenarios. Safety and security barriers are employed widely to protect chemical plants from accidental and intentional undesired events and mitigate consequences. Managing safety and security barriers effectively and economically is a research topic with...

journal article 2023

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Uncertainties and their treatment in the quantitative risk assessment of domino effects: Classification and review

Xu, Y. (author), Reniers, G.L.L.M.E. (author), Yang, M. (author), Yuan, S. (author), Chen, Chao (author)

Domino accidents are typical low-frequency and high-consequence events in chemical process industries. Applying quantitative risk assessment (QRA) in domino accident assessment is challenging due to the uncertainties in the escalation process. Meanwhile, the outcomes of QRA are subject to a certain degree of unreliability due to the...

journal article 2023

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Dynamic-risk-informed safety barrier management: An application to cost-effective barrier optimization based on data from multiple sources

Yuan, S. (author), Reniers, G.L.L.M.E. (author), Yang, M. (author)

An integrated approach for performance assessment and management of safety barriers in a systemic manner is needed concerning the prevention and mitigation of major accidents in chemical process industries. Particularly, the effects of safety barriers on system risk reduction should be assessed in a dynamic manner to support the decision-making...

journal article 2023

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Integrated process safety and process security risk assessment of industrial cyber-physical systems in chemical plants

Yuan, S. (author), Yang, M. (author), Reniers, G.L.L.M.E. (author)

Aligned with the development needs of Industry 4.0, industrial cyber-physical systems (ICPSs) are widely applied to chemical facilities to facilitate so-called intelligent production processes. Meanwhile, emerging cyber-to-physical (C2P) risks are introduced due to the vulnerability of ICPSs to cyberattacks. An integrated safety and security...

journal article 2023

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Quantitative Evaluation of the Probability of Success of Deliberate Attacks in the Offshore Oil&Gas Industry

Iaiani, Matteo (author), Tugnoli, Alessandro (author), Cozzani, Valerio (author), Reniers, G.L.L.M.E. (author), Yang, M. (author)

Deliberate attacks (security attacks) pose a significant threat to offshore Oil&Gas critical infrastructures as they have the potential of triggering major event scenarios with severe consequences on people, property, and the surrounding environment. The standards API RP 70 and API RP 70I address security issues in the offshore Oil&Gas...

journal article 2023

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Risk Analysis of Laboratory Fire Accidents in Chinese Universities by Combining Association Rule Learning and Fuzzy Bayesian Networks

Yang, Fuqiang (author), Li, Xin (author), Yuan, S. (author), Reniers, G.L.L.M.E. (author)

Targeting the challenges in the risk analysis of laboratory fire accidents, particularly considering fire accidents in Chinese universities, an integrated approach is proposed with the combination of association rule learning, a Bayesian network (BN), and fuzzy set theory in this study. The proposed approach has the main advantages of deriving...

journal article 2023

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A Bayesian-network approach for assessing the probability of success of physical security attacks to offshore Oil&Gas facilities

Iaiani, Matteo (author), Tugnoli, Alessandro (author), Cozzani, Valerio (author), Reniers, G.L.L.M.E. (author), Yang, M. (author)

Offshore Oil&Gas facilities are attractive targets of intentional malicious attacks (security attacks) that may trigger cascading events (e.g., the release and dispersion of hazardous material and/or energy, fires, explosions) with consequences on people, environment, and assets. The severity of these consequences is potentially similar to...

journal article 2023

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An integrated EDIB model for probabilistic risk analysis of natural gas pipeline leakage accidents

Chen, Xing lin (author), Lin, Wei dong (author), Liu, Chun xiang (author), Yang, Fu qiang (author), Guo, Yong (author), Li, Xin (author), Yuan, S. (author), Reniers, G.L.L.M.E. (author)

Natural gas pipeline construction is developing rapidly worldwide to meet the needs of international and domestic energy transportation. Meanwhile, leakage accidents occur to natural gas pipelines frequently due to mechanical failure, personal operation errors, etc., and induce huge economic property loss, environmental damages, and even...

journal article 2023

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An Exploratory Study on Uncertainty Analysis in Quantitative Risk Assessment of Domino Effects

Xu, Y. (author), Reniers, G.L.L.M.E. (author), Yang, M. (author), Yuan, S. (author), Chen, C. (author)

Data uncertainties caused by the lack of knowledge and nature variation or randomness present vital challenges to domino effects modelling. To improve the assessment of the propagation probabilities and consequences of the domino-effect accidents, the influence of various types of uncertainties on risk assessment results needs to be investigated...

journal article 2022

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Safety barriers in the chemical process industries: A state-of-the-art review on their classification, assessment, and management

Yuan, S. (author), Yang, M. (author), Reniers, G.L.L.M.E. (author), Chen, C. (author), Wu, Jiansong (author)

Barriers are used in various forms to assure the safety of chemical plants. A deep understanding of the literature related to safety barriers is essential to tackle the challenges in improving their design and management. This paper first provides an overview of the history of the development of the safety barrier concept. Subsequently, this...

journal article 2022

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An evaluation of the information literacy of safety professionals

Guo, Y. (author), Tao, Jing (author), Yang, F. (author), Chen, C. (author), Reniers, G.L.L.M.E. (author)

Information literacy has gradually become one of the necessary qualities in current and future safety practices. The calculation and assessment of information literacy of safety professionals is an effective way to understand their information literacy level. This paper, therefore, aims to evaluate the information literacy level of safety...

journal article 2022

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An event-driven probabilistic methodology for modeling the spatial-temporal evolution of natural hazard-induced domino chain in chemical industrial parks

Men, Jinkun (author), Chen, Guohua (author), Yang, Yunfeng (author), Reniers, G.L.L.M.E. (author)

Natural hazards may rapidly lead to a massive domino chain in chemical industrial parks (CIPs). This work develops a high-efficiency and systematic analytical framework that is applicable to a broad range of uncertain and time-varying factors related to the evolution process of natural hazard-induced domino chain (NHDC). Specifically, the...

journal article 2022

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Dynamic Risk Assessment of Chemical Process Systems using System-Theoretic Accident Model and Process (STAMP) and Failure Propagation Model

Sun, H. (author), Wang, Haiqing (author), Yang, M. (author), Reniers, G.L.L.M.E. (author)

Chemical process systems involve complex dynamic processes, and the state of the system often fluctuates during the production process. To ensure the continuation of production, these fluctuations are often ignored or processed online instead of shutting down the unit. However, the interdependence between components in the system is strong, and...

journal article 2022

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An Approach for Identification of Integrated Safety and Security Barriers in the Chemical Process Industries

Yuan, S. (author), Yang, M. (author), Reniers, G.L.L.M.E. (author), Chen, C. (author)

Chemical process industries are threatened with accidental and intentional adverse events because of the storage and operation of large quantities of hazardous substances. Safety and security barriers play important roles in protecting the chemical plants from safety and security-related undesired events and mitigating the potentially...

journal article 2022