Domino effects related to explosions in the framework of land use planning

The present study analyses the possible escalation due to the damage of industrial equipment containing hazardous materials loaded by pressure waves produced either by an accidental source as a Vapour Cloud Explosion, or by a voluntary external attack such as the explosion of a TNT charge located nearby the industrial facility. The results obtained evidence the similarities and the differences for the two explosion sources in terms of structural damage, loss of containment and of expected impacts on the population. In particular, a specific vulnerability assessment was carried out defining a case-study in order to evidence the different potential impact of domino effect triggered by internal process causes respect to escalation scenarios caused by external acts of interference.