The Assessment of Risk Caused by Fire and Explosion in Chemical Process Industry: A Domino Effect-Based Study

In the field of risks analysis, the domino effect has been documented in technical literature since 1947. The accidents caused by the domino effect are the most destructive accidents related to industrial plants. Fire and explosion are among the most frequent primary accidents for a domino effect due to the units under pressure and the storage of flammable and dangerous substances. Heat radiation and overpressure are one of major factors leading to domino effect on industrial sites and storage areas. In this paper we present a method for risk assessment of domino effects caused by heat radiation and overpressure on industrial sites. This methodology is based on the probabilistic models and the physical equations. It allows quantifying the effect of the escalation vectors (physical effects) in industrial plants, the three areas defined in this study may be useful in the choice of safe distances between industrial equipments. The results have proven the importance of domino effect assessment in the framework of risk analysis.