Seismic Vulnerability Assessment of Derrick-Supported Flare-Stacks Using Fragility Curves

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Qom

2 Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Qom, Qom, Iran

10.22091/cer.2021.6244.1218

Abstract

Risk reduction and management of oil, gas, and petrochemical plants are important in terms of energy supply, financial implications, life loss, and repairs. Probabilistic analysis and reliability methods are effective approaches for calculating the risk and cost to such plants, which are composed of units with different types of equipment and structures that have different responses and consequences. One major piece of equipment in a plant that has been shut down is the flare. Depending on the height, the flares can be self-supported, guy-supported, or derrick-supported. The current study investigated the seismic probability behavior of a derrick-supported flare. An existing flare was investigated using the finite element method and incremental dynamic analysis as a case study. The different limit states of the structures were considered when calculating the fragility curves using the results of incremental dynamic analysis. The results showed that the seismic demand on the main structure of the flare stack in the ordinary seismic intensity range was not significant due to the flexible behavior of the structure.

Keywords

Main Subjects


[1] Di Sarno, L., & Karagiannakis, G. (2020). “On the seismic fragility of pipe rack—piping systems considering soil–structure interaction”, Bulletin of earthquake engineering, 1-35.
[2] Caputo, A.C., & Vigna, A. (2017) “Numerical Simulation of Seismic Risk and Loss Propagation Effects in Process Plants: An Oil Refinery Case Study”, In ASME 2017 Pressure Vessels and Piping Conference, 8, https://doi.org/10.1115/PVP2017-65465.
[3] Eidinger, J. (2009). “Fragility of non-structural components for FEMA benefit cost analysis”, G&E Engineer-ing Systems Inc, 480-490
[4] Danesi, R. J. (2015). Seismic risk of industrial plants: assessment of a petrochemical piperack using incre-mental dynamic analysis (Doctoral dissertation, MSc Thesis Rose School. Pavia, Italy).
[5] Bursi, O. S., Paolacci, F., & Reza, M. S. (2015). “Performance-based analysis of coupled support structures and piping systems subject to seismic loading”, In Pressure Vessels and Piping Conference (Vol. 57034, p. V008T08A021). American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
[6] S. D. C. E. A., & D. N. (2005). Flaring at oil refineries in south Durban and Denmark. ISBN 0-620-34209-9.
[7] World Bank Group. (2004). A Voluntary Standard for Global Gas Flaring and Venting Reduction, Public Disclosure Authorized.
[8] Standard, A. P. I. (2014). Pressure-relieving and Depressuring Systems, API Publishing Services, Texas A&M University/5912186001.
[9] Sabry, H. (2017). “Integrity of LNG flare systems”, In Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition & Conference. OnePetro, https://doi.org/10.2118/188307-MS.
[10] Papas, M., Smith, S., Zink, D., & Parfreeman, N. (2010). “Principal of Flaring Combusion and Ways to Minimise Emissions and Smoke-Design and Case Study of a New Air-Injection System for Upgrading Existing Flares into Smokeless Flares”, In SPE Asia Pacific Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition. Society of Petrole-um Engineers, https://doi.org/10.2118/134067-MS.
[11] Akeredolu, F. A., & Sonibare, J. A. (2004). “A review of the usefulness of gas flares in air pollution control”, Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, 15(6), 574-583.
[12] Krausmann, E., Cruz, A. M., & Affeltranger, B. (2010). “The impact of the 12 May 2008 Wenchuan earth-quake on industrial facilities”, Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, 23(2), 242-248.
[13] Vamvatsikos, D., & Cornell, C. A. (2002). “Incremental dynamic analysis”, Earthquake engineering & structural dynamics, 31(3), 491-514.
[14] Vamvatsikos, D., & Cornell, C. A. (2002). Seismic performance, capacity and reliability of structures as seen through incremental dynamic analysis, Doctoral dissertation, Stanford University, 1–172.
[15] Prestandard, F. E. M. A. (2000). commentary for the seismic rehabilitation of buildings (FEMA356). Wash-ington, DC: Federal Emergency Management Agency, 7, 2.
[16] Chiou, J. S., Chiang, C. H., Yang, H. H., & Hsu, S. Y. (2011). “Developing fragility curves for a pile-supported wharf”, Soil dynamics and earthquake engineering, 31(5-6), 830-840.
[17] No, E. (2013). 2010 Edition of ASCE 7 Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures. www.asceorg/sei/errata.
[18] Iervolino, I., & Cornell, C. A. (2005). “Record selection for nonlinear seismic analysis of structures”, Earth-quake Spectra, 21(3), 685-713.
[19] Ancheta, T., Bozorgnia, Y., Darragh, R., Silva, W. J., Chiou, B., Stewart, J. P., ... & Atkinson, G. M. (2012). “PEER NGA-West2 database: A database of ground motions recorded in shallow crustal earthquakes in active tectonic regions”, In Proceedings, 15th World Conference on Earthquake Engineering. Https://Ngawest2.Berkeley.Edu/Site.
[20] Chopra, A. K. (2012) “Dynamics of structures: theory and applications to earthquake engineering”, Dynamics of Structures : Theory and Applications to Earthquake Engineering, ISBN-10: 0134555120, ISBN-13: 978-0134555126.
CAPTCHA Image