Safety technology in the chemical industry: A problem in hazard analysis with solution

Abstract As chemical processes become more novel, and as plants get bigger, more complex and more highly integrated, the use of quantitative methods such as hazard analysis for the evaluation of risk to life, and risk to plant and profits, is becoming increasingly necessary. Environmental pressure for improved and more rigorously controlled standards of safety is yet another important reason for the development and use of such methods in modern chemical plant design. This paper illustrates the use of hazard analysis for ensuring acceptable safety standards with respect to potential brittle fracture of an overground cross-country pipeline handling liquefied flammable gas.