The crude oil industry has been developed in recent decades due to the uses of this product, as well as its derivatives. One of the worst consequences phenomena that can occur in the process industry is the called domino effect. The domino effect or cascade effect occurs when an initiating event, such as a pool of fire or a vapor cloud explosion, causes a new number of accidents. Moreover, due to the importance of avoiding this phenomenon, the European Commission considers the domino effect analysis as mandatory for industrial facilities. There are methodologies in the specialized literature focused on quantifying the existing risks in the storage and processing of hydrocarbons. However, there is a tendency to develop new procedures that increase the risk perception of these accidents. In addition, it is necessary to develop a method that allows visualizing clearly and concisely the dangerous potential of fire and explosion accidents for the occurrence of the domino effect. Precisely, this research aims to predict the dangerous potential of fire and explosion accidents for the occurrence of the domino effect. For this purpose, a methodology consisting of three fundamental stages is developed. Finally, hydrocarbon storage and processing area is selected to apply the proposed methodology. Overall, the development of graphs that summarize information and show the dangerous potential regarding the escalation of fire and explosion accidents is vital in risk analysis. For the case study, the effectiveness of the same was demonstrated, since after its realization it was possible to increase the risk awareness of workers, technicians, and managers of the area taken as a case study.
How to Determine the Dangerous Potential of Accidents to Domino Effect Detonation in a Hydrocarbon Processing Area?
