An integrated framework for subsea pipelines safety analysis considering causation dependencies

Abstract Ensuring the operational safety of subsea pipelines is a growing challenge. It requires monitoring of failure causation factors and detailed safety analysis. This paper proposes an integrated framework for comprehensive safety analysis of subsea pipelines. This framework is developed based on an index-based risk evaluation system, which incorporates interdependency analysis of failure causal factors, hazard coupling analysis and risk grade evaluation in an integrated manner. The Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) method is utilized to analyze the interdependencies among risk factors. The fuzzy reasoning algorithm is employed to calculate the risk grades of these factors in the evaluation system. This framework has also considered the effect of hazard coupling (combination of hazards) on subsea pipeline failure. The framework is tested on a case study. The case study demonstrates the practicality and usability of the proposed framework. This framework will serve an important tool for swiftly assess and manage the risk of subsea pipeline failures.