Process Safety Progress, Vol.37, No.2, 186-193, 2018
Integrated Assessment of Safety Distances for Rescue Work in Chemical Plant Fires Involving Domino Effects
This study employed the Suite for the Assessment of Flammable, Explosive, and Toxic Impacts to synergize the environmental data, risk frequency, and physical and chemical properties of chemical-induced fires and explosions at accident sites and thereby establish an integrated assessment model. In addition, the suite was used to visualize fires and explosions resulting from domino effects caused by thermal radiation and blast overpressure in initial accidents at chemical plants. The simulation results were successfully utilized to respond to a chemical plant fire, assist the fire command officer to determine the range of domino effects during rescue, and extinguish the ignition source. In addition, the model provided safety distances for rescue to enable the proper deployment of rescuers and vehicles and to prevent their exposure to deadly hazards. The simulation results also provided the integrated safety distances including acceptable safety distances for rescuers with the appropriate protective equipment and the range of domino effect during the first accident and the second accident. (C) 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers
Keywords:suite for the assessment of flammable;explosive;and toxic impacts;integrated assessment model;domino effect;thermal radiation;blast overpressure