Derivation of Risk Areas Associated with High-Pressure Natural-Gas Pipelines Explosions Including Effects on Structural Components

Abstract

A number of high-profile incidents involving transmission pipelines in urban and environmentally sensitive areas have recently focused public attention on pipeline safety. The consequences of incidents that involve large diameter, high-pressure transmission pipelines can pose a significant threat of damage to people and properties in the vicinity of the failure location. This study attempts to develop a risk assessment procedure for the estimation of the annual probability of direct structural damage to reinforced concrete (RC) buildings associated with high-pressure natural-gas pipeline explosions. First, blast hazard is estimated using the Multi-Energy method and then blast fragility of single RC columns through pressure-impulse equations. The results are combined to assess the annual risk of structural collapse and the extent of ground area where the failure of a high-pressure pipeline carrying natural gas can lead to the collapse of RC buildings.