AIChE Journal, Vol.43, No.6, 1494-1510, 1997
Prototype for Integrated Hazard Analysis
The prototype of an integrated hazard-analysis system (IHAS) was developed. Essentially any process can be analyzed with this software if the system topology is correctly supplied by the user. Since all algorithms adopted are digraph-based, the system digraph must be constructed first with IHAS. The embedded feedforward and feedback loops are then identified and classified. On the basis of this information, three widely accepted hazard-assessment procedures- FTA, ETA, and HAZOP-can be performed automatically. From the results obtained in practical applications one can sec that the quality of hazard analysis is indeed improved if IHAS can be used as an aid to the human experts.