Adrian V. Gheorghe

Assessment of Transportation Risks in a Complex Area

There are new trends in the chemical industry to manufacture dangerous products at the site of utilization or, when possible, to modify the synthesis method in such a way as to avoid the use of hazardous substances. Integrated concepts are developed, that provide for the minimization of hazardous wastes through reduction, reuse, recycling and recovery at source, as well as addressing treatment and disposal of material not managed at the source. Historically, the siting of hazardous waste treatment and disposal facilities has been and is still a difficult undertaking, raising public fear. The transport and distribution of hazardous substances, such as petroleum products, liquefied petroleum gases, ammonia, chlorine gas, pesticides, chemicals/petrochemicals and radioactive materials, inevitably involve the potential for incidents and accidents which may result in death or injury to people, property damage or damage to the biophysical environment through the effects of fire, explosion or toxicity. An increasing number of transportation accidents involving hazardous substances have occurred worldwide. Such accidents with their resultant effects on people and the environment have increased awareness in government, industry and the community and resulted to think again of the risk assessment process applied to transportation of hazardous substances. In that context, it is now recognized that the safety planning of transportation routes, accounting for the type and nature of surrounding land uses, is an integral component of the safety management of hazardous substances transportation.

Pipelines and Storage Tanks for Gases and Petroleum Products

The natural gas consumption for the year 1992 was worldwide around 2’150 Mrd m3 (1 Mrd = 1 billion = 109), which corresponds to a primary energy consumption of 23%. In Western Europe the natural gas consumption for the same period reached 320 Mrd m3 (i.e., 14% of the world consumption). This corresponds to primary energy consumption of 17%. The need were covered to about two third by supplies from Western Europe own production and to one third by supplies from Russia, Algeria, and Libya. The most important production site in Western Europe is Norway (North-Sea), with 2’000 Mrd m3 of assessed reserves. The supply from this region amounts to 30 Mrd m3 per year, of which one part is distributed by pipeline to Great-Britain and the other to Continental Europe, corresponding to 9% of the consumption of Western Europe. The second largest producer are the Netherlands Groningen), with assessed reserves of 1,950 Mrd m3 natural gas. The natural gas is exported from Holland by “Gasunie” and amounts to 40 Mrd m3 per year. The natural gas pipeline network in continental Europe has a length of over 600’000 km and shows many ramifications, allowing a fine distribution to most important consumers (Figure 6.1).

Case Studies in Review and Miscellaneous Information

The information presented up to now gives a general overview of the situation on the transportation of dangerous goods. This includes methodology, statistical data for probabilistic risk assessment, and other information of interest. There has been different approaches concerning risk analysis, which were followed by the authorities or engineering companies in different countries. In this chapter we intend to present a short summary of selected case studies and miscellaneous information of interest to the reader, which may show different aspects of the methodologies in use and how a potential user might implement its own applications. The topics presented below are intended as examples, and in view of the restricted amount of space, this selection had to remain very limited, and is in this sense not exclusive.i

Data Bases and Computer Support for Risk Assessment

The data basesi concerning dangerous goods and health hazards, listed in TABLE 8.1, provide useful information for risk assessment studies.

Transportation of Dangerous Goods by Ship

Ship and barge transport on lakes and waterways present some risk to the environment, people and to fixed installations and buildings. The greatest risk arises from explosion of a flammable gas (propane/butane, gasoline, solvents) cloud escaping from tanker-ship damaged by a collision. Non-combustible gases, such as chlorine or ammonia, can escape from a container as the result of mechanical or corrosion damage and form a toxic gas cloud drifting in direction of populated areas along the lake or river. Another risk may be due to water intrusion into a damaged barge and subsequent leaching of some water soluble toxic substance, which may pollute lakes and rivers, thus presenting a danger to ground-water and aquatic life.

Transportation of Dangerous Goods — General Information and Statistics

Risk assessment for regional planing should also comprise information and statistics on the volume and class of dangerous goods transported or stored in large quantities in the region. This information should be stored in a dangerous goods data base which should include: Information concerning the storage location, such as: location of the storage area, type of storage/packaging (tanks, containers, bags), tank farm arrangement, separation distances, oil catclunent equipment, etc. Information on the products: volume of product stored, danger class and physical properties of the liquids or solids. Information for medical treatment of patients Information concerning the fire fighting equipment (type/number of hydrants, type/quantities of extinguishing product) and information regarding the availability of firemen brigades (on a local/regional basis). Regional information concerning the availability and location of special protection equipment against petroleum products, for pollution prevention and remedial actions.

Towards Integrated Risk Assessment and Safety Management at Regional Level: — Transportation of Dangerous Goods

One objective of hazard assessment is to quantify the hazard and the risk of its occurrence. Another is to reduce the risk.

Analysis and Assessment of Transportation Risk — Environmental and Safety Factors

It was not the purpose of the present book to analyze in depth the risk of transportation of dangerous goods in Switzerland, but instead, in the framework of the Polyproject Risk and Safety of Technical Systems (PPR&S), we concentrated mainly on applied risk analysis techniques and special attention was also given to highlighting the methods and to complement them with examples and cases studies, to present general information and, as far as available, international as well as Swiss national statistical data on accident frequencies, accident speed, spill frequencies, and other matter related to the risk analysis process of hazardous materials transportation systems, involving road, rail, ship and pipelines, to be viewed in the context of integrated regional risk analysis.

Risk Assessment of Hazardous Materials Transportation by Rail

In this chapter we are first reporting the findings on train accidents experienced in the USA and Great Britain. Then we present information concerning the situation in Switzerland, and the Swiss Federal Rail Networki (SBB/CFF/FFS) is briefly described. The methodology proposed by BUWALii for assessing the risks of hazardous materials transportation by rail is explained in details, and finally, selected results of a risk assessment study prepared by SBB, that concern incident frequencies and the indicators used to represent the extent of expected potential damages are presented at the end of this chapter.

Risk Analysis of Hazardous Materials Transportation by Road

General information and know-how related to truck accident rates, accidents in tunnels and their consequences are presented in this chapter. The Swiss methodology recommended by BUWALi for assessing the risks of hazardous materials transportation by road is explained in details. Finally, new developments in traffic and vehicle control are presented.