P-HAZOP: A New Extended HAZOP (Hazard and Operability) Study for Risk Analysis of Pipelines

Due to the high potential consequences of pipeline accidents, it is necessary to manage the inherited risks in the pipeline sectors. Several techniques are available to identify hazardous situations; however, it is crucial that the selected tool is tailored to the scope of work. HAZOP study is one of the most accepted techniques adopted by experts to identify hazards. Despite the wide application of HAZOP in process industries, this method is not suitable for pipelines. In this study, a new extension of HAZOP (P-HAZOP) was introduced through integrating the classic HAZOP and Kent’s method. This research focused on detecting a new sort of deviation from the design intent in pipelines. A previously conducted HAZOP study for a pipeline network was re-conducted using P-HAZOP. A large number of newly detected deviations demonstrated more coverage of the P-HAZOP for the pipeline scope. Finally, it is recommended to improve the traditional HAZOP for pipeline applications.