Human vulnerability modeling and risk analysis of railway transportation of hazardous materials

Risk Assessment Framework for Selecting the Safer Route for Hazmat Transportation Based on Accident Database and Vulnerability Models

“…According to a review of hazmat risk assessment literature between 1991 and 2020, many current risk assessment models are based on various simplifying assumptions, which leads to high uncertainty in the results. 35 These limitations/simplifying assumptions in reported literature include (i) applying a common national frequency uniformly on all road segments 29,30 or assuming that the frequency is uniform over entire administrative districts, 36 (ii) not using historical accident data and incident probabilities, 37,29 which are indispensable for a practicable QRA, and (iii) considering only population densities along the route for calculating the number of fatalities, which does not take into account the occupants of vehicles on the road who are more susceptible in the event of an accident. 36,37 All of these imply that the accuracy and practicability of risk assessment models must be improved further.…”

“…According to a review of hazmat risk assessment literature between 1991 and 2020, many current risk assessment models are based on various simplifying assumptions, which leads to high uncertainty in the results. 35 include (i) applying a common national frequency uniformly on all road segments 29,30 or assuming that the frequency is uniform over entire administrative districts, 36 (ii) not using historical accident data and incident probabilities, 37,29 which are indispensable for a practicable QRA, and (iii) considering only population densities along the route for calculating the number of fatalities, which does not take into account the occupants of vehicles on the road who are more susceptible in the event of an accident. 36,37 All of these imply that the accuracy and practicability of risk assessment models must be improved further.…”

Toxic Release Damage Distance Assessment Based on the Short-Cut Method: A Case Study for the Transport of Chlorine and Hydrochloric Acid in Densely Urbanized Areas in the Mediterranean Region

“…8 Such a DSS may be also useful for teaching and training with regards to the basic hazard consciousness of operators, and to assess the potential hazard of the new energy vectors 9 or describing another HazMat means of transport to generate risk maps by superimposing the hazard and vulnerability using GIS software. 10 The present research adopts a bottom-up approach, emphasizing the importance of having the necessary knowledge, tools, and numerical and physical resources available at the time and place of an accident to effectively address the associated risks and minimize the potential consequences. Accordingly, the research begins with the real-time collection of relevant data in a Several modeling methods and software tools have been developed to determine the impact areas in case of accidents involving Hazardous Material (HazMat) 11−13 (e.g., Phast, 14 Riskcurves, 15 HAMS-GPS, 16 and ALOHA 17 ).…”

“…The DSS should be based on potential hazard identification, using simplified tools, different from the 3D multiscale weather forecast Atmospheric Transport and Dispersion models embedded into the DSS . Such a DSS may be also useful for teaching and training with regards to the basic hazard consciousness of operators, and to assess the potential hazard of the new energy vectors or describing another HazMat means of transport to generate risk maps by superimposing the hazard and vulnerability using GIS software …”

Evaporation of anhydrous ammonia from small concrete coupons and implications regarding evaporation from a large accidental spill on concrete

“…There is a lack of substantial research on potential secondary threats resulting from an accidental ammonia release, specifically during the time period before natural environmental remediation occurs, as most research efforts have focused on the initial plume and its effects. [17][18][19][20][21] Our work here seeks to evaluate the evaporation of anhydrous ammonia from a saturated porous substrate, which could result in a secondary threat to first responders, the population at large, and the environment. We directly determine the evaporation, in a laboratory chamber, of anhydrous ammonia from a specific porous substrate (5 cm  5 cm  1.9 cm concrete "coupons") through massdifference calcuation 22 and then validate the remaining ammonia in the concrete via a spectrophotometric technique.…”