Industrial accidents triggered by lightning.
Natural disasters can cause major accidents in chemical facilities where they can lead to the release of hazardous materials which in turn can result in fires, explosions or toxic dispersion. Lightning strikes are the most frequent cause of major accidents triggered by natural events. In order to contribute towards the development of a quantitative approach for assessing lightning risk at industrial facilities, lightning-triggered accident case histories were retrieved from the major industrial accident databases and analysed to extract information on types of vulnerable equipment, failure dynamics and damage states, as well as on the final consequences of the event. The most vulnerable category of equipment is storage tanks. Lightning damage is incurred by immediate ignition, electrical and electronic systems failure or structural damage with subsequent release. Toxic releases and tank fires tend to be the most common scenarios associated with lightning strikes. Oil, diesel and gasoline are the substances most frequently released during lightning-triggered Natech accidents.
Renni
Elisabetta
E
European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for the Protection and Security of the Citizen, TP 361, Via E. Fermi 2749, 21027 Ispra (VA), Italy; Dipartimento di Ingegneria Chimica, Mineraria e delle Tecnologie Ambientali, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, Via Terracini 28, 40131 Bologna, Italy.
Krausmann
Elisabeth
E
European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for the Protection and Security of the Citizen, TP 361, Via E. Fermi 2749, 21027 Ispra (VA), Italy.
Cozzani
Valerio
V
Dipartimento di Ingegneria Chimica, Mineraria e delle Tecnologie Ambientali, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, Via Terracini 28, 40131 Bologna, Italy. Electronic address: valerio.cozzani@unibo.it.
D000062:Accidents, Occupational; D008030:Lightning