Quantitative assessment of the risk associated to the transport of hazardous substances by pipeline

The transport of hazardous substances by pipeline has a high social acceptability and is widely diffused. However, several accidents resulting in fatalities and in severe environmental contamination are reported in the literature. Conventional quantitative risk assessment (QRA) techniques are widely applied to pipeline safety analysis, but these methods seldom take into account the environmental consequences of accidental events. In the present study a specific methodology and a software tool, TRAT-GIS 4.1, were applied to the analysis of the risk to people and environment due to pipeline transport of hazardous substances. Well known individual and societal risk plots were obtained for loss of containment of flammable and toxic substances. On the other hand, the methodology provides as well the extension of potential contaminated areas and overall cost figures expressing the severity of the expected environmental damage associated to the spill of substances dangerous for the environment. The methodology and the software were applied to several case-studies, and the results were compared to those provided by conventional methods. The analysis of the case-studies evidenced the potentiality of the method as a possible tool for decision support, in particular in the case of pipeline hazmat transport though areas where an important environmental heritage is present.