Process Security Analysis : - Analysis and ý - Map

Chemical processes are often operated under high pressures, at high temperatures, and with fast material flows and complex manufacturing mechanisms. Thus, their operation is always more risky, environmentally more harmful, and potentially more dangerous than other types of manufacturing activities when abnormal or destructive situations arise. In the extreme, catastrophes, such as explosions, toxic release, and loss of life, will occur unexpectedly and rapidly, particularly when a premeditated attack is made by an adversary who has sufficient technical background on chemical operations. Obviously, such security-threatening situations must be detected early, the potential impacts on production must be precisely evaluated, and operational solutions must be quickly derived. However, systematic and effective methodologies are not available for the chemical process industries today. Scientists and engineers are greatly challenged to swiftly develop a knowledge base of process security that can fundamentally help the industry perform process-security analysis, assessŽ ment, and improvement Margiloff, 2001; Cunningham, 2002; . Ragan et al., 2002 . Process security is an extended concept and practice of process safety. Over the past decades, various process-safety techniques and tools have been developed and implemented Ž . in the industries. HAZOP HAZard and OPerability analysis , Ž . Ž LOPA Layer Of Protection Analysis , and FTA Fault Tree . Ž Analysis are among the most popular ones Dimitriadis et al., 1996; Lees, 1996; Allen and Shonnard, 2002; Crowl and . Louvar, 2002 . They are effective in identifying process malfunctions and deriving solutions to ensure safe production. The scientific tools for safety enhancement are mainly probability analysis and logical reasoning about the root causes of adverse conditions. Existing safety technologies are almost exclusively based on steady-state information. Solutions generally are derived on experience, and they are usually statistiŽ . cal and qualitative Dimitriadis et al., 1996; Dowell, 1998 .