Cause Analysis of the Facility Failure Leading to the Explosion

This study aims to find how fires and explosions can occur in enclosed spaces where electrical transformers are installed and to investigate the consequences of the damages to the surrounding areas caused by these accidents. This study began with the collection of a mineral oil waste sample from an indoor substation transformer in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This sample was analyzed to determine its composition. Results revealed that 30 components ranging from C6 to C30 were detected in the sample. The mixture flammability limits, calculated using Le Chatelier rules and found to be 0.97 and 6.56, indicated that the vapor mixture for the waste oil sample was not flammable at 25 °C and 1 atm. Consequence analysis was used to predict the outcome of fire and explosion events based on a transformer with a capacity of 1100 liters. The peak overpressure generated by an explosion was estimated to be 80.97 kPa. Moreover, the thermal radiation produced by various types of fires was estimated as a function of the distance from the accident center. The thermal flux from a boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion (BLEVE) was 99.8 kW/m2, which is greater than that from jet and pool fires. The probability of an individual suffering injury or dying as a result of exposure to fire and/or an explosion was estimated using dose-response models. The results showed that the peak overpressure produced by an explosion can cause severe damage within 20 m of the explosion center. However, the results also showed that there is a 100% probability of the thermal radiation from a BLEVE causing fatalities up to a distance of 140 m. The risk due to the fragmentation of the transformer tanks was also assessed, and a majority of fragments would land within a range of 111.2 m.

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Safety Considerations by Synergy of HAZOP/DMRA with Safety Color Maps—Applications on: A Crude-Oil Processing Industry/a Gas Transportation System

Marhavilas

Filippidis

Koulinas

et al. 2021

Processes

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A collaborative framework by the synergy of Hazard and Operability (HAZOP) process and the Decision-Matrix Risk Assessment (DMRA) in association with safety-color mapping (SCM) is presented, in order to identify critical points and prioritize risks, and also to visualize the occupational safety and health (OSH) situation, at the workplaces (i) of a sour crude-oil processing industry (SCOPI), and (ii) of a measurement and regulatory station (MRS) in a gas transportation system (GTS), situated in Greece. Firstly, the conventional HAZOP analysis is executed in order to identify the potential fault causes of abnormal conditions (deviations) in the plants. The application of the DMRA-modus is valuable to rank the identified risks (hierarchy of risks). In view of the results, both of the HAZOP pattern (for identifying the hazards) and also the DMRA one (for assessing and ranking the risks), SCMs have been derived for the specific workplaces of the SCOPI and the MRS/GTS station, which could be a precious means for safety managers to appraise the urgency of investing limited budgets in measures preventing particular types of deviations, and also protecting the employees.

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Cause Analysis of the Facility Failure Leading to the Explosion

Cited by 3 publications

References 22 publications

Safety-assessment by hybridizing the MCDM/AHP & HAZOP-DMRA techniques through safety’s level colored maps: Implementation in a petrochemical industry

Safety-assessment by hybridizing the MCDM/AHP & HAZOP-DMRA techniques through safety’s level colored maps: Implementation in a petrochemical industry

Fire and Explosion Risks and Consequences in Electrical Substations—A Transformer Case Study

Safety Considerations by Synergy of HAZOP/DMRA with Safety Color Maps—Applications on: A Crude-Oil Processing Industry/a Gas Transportation System

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