In complex industrial system, such as gathering system, the high complex failure coupling relation among separate production process sections, personnel operation and equipment leads to a high complex potential hazard, which induces huge economic losses, environmental contamination, or human injuries. In order to insure system intrinsic safety and simplify failure mode analysis, this study proposes a novel failure mode analysis model (NFMA). NFMA is developed based on Multilevel Flow Modeling (MFM) and Hazard Operability Study (HAZOP). A graphical MFM model is introduced in NFMA by decomposing goals, functions and components, to descript flows of mass and energy of process system as basis of this model. According to the MFM reasoning rules, HAZOP investigates function nodes and deviations to identify the failure modes. Finally, the benefits and feasibility of NFMA are investigated with a case study of gathering system. (c) 2012 The Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.