On the use of dynamic process simulators for the quantitative assessment of industrial accidents

The present work discusses the use of dynamic process simulators as supporting tools for the quantitative risk assessment of industrial facilities. In particular, a commercial process simulator was set up for the analysis of industrial accidents, obtaining on one side a detailed characterization of the source term in case of release events from process equipment or pipes. On the other, the possibility of implementing in the simulator control actions, interlocks, emergency shut-down, allowed monitoring the response of a given process unit, verifying the effectiveness and robustness of safety devices in emergency situations. The application to two case studies was used to demonstrate the potentialities of dynamic process simulators in the framework of industrial safety analyses. © Copyright 2014, AIDIC Servizi S.r.l.