The motivation for this work relies basically on the necessity to develop new logic diagrams for the implementation of a risk management program, taking into account the changes introduced into our dayto-day lives by the information revolution and the on going globalization process. These changes were not visualized some years ago. Therefore, we continue to use traditional techniques to evaluate an entire new concept of design and construction with respect to both processes and buildings. It is not logical to assume that the risk management of the new millennium is based on the way of thinking developed in the past.

This article presents new logic diagram, which are not recommended by the CCPS, called continuous value network. It enable the engineer to look into and evaluate the system mode of failures. One of the advantages of using these value networks is that they are flexible and provide a road map for logical thought. The main contribution of these diagrams (as well as the performance descriptors associate to them) is improving of communication. These logic diagrams and descriptors were used during the hazard identification of the distribution company of natural gas of the Pernambuco State, known as COPERGÁS, Brazil.

1. Introduction

It has been said that when a physician makes a mistake only one victim suffers, but when an engineer makes a mistake in design, it is probable that many will suffer. Any engineering deficiency can affect management, create malfunctions and failures, cause operator error, and so on.

Therefore, we need a clearer vision of how an engineering deficiency during the design process can affect the life cycle of the system. These deficiencies could put the business mission and goals in greater risk.

In the early hours of March 15th 2001, there were several explosions on the largest Petrobras platform known as P–36 operated in the Rencodor field Campos Basin (about 200Km north of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). A total of 175 people were onboard the platform at that time. The death toll was 11. The P–36 was built in Italy in 1994 and recently refitted in Canada. On 22nd March it sunk into the Atlantic. Questions about the causes of the explosion remain unanswered, although Petrobras has said that there had been a gas leak that escaped into the column where the blast took place. A note released by Petrobras on March 23rd read: "On March 12, 13 and 14 the log entries for the platform before the explosion recorded a problem in the P–36 vent system and recommended a production shutdown."[1] The accident involving the P–36 is the latest in a series of others. In January of the same year two workers died in a fire on Petrobras' offshore natural gas BLOCK 3 - - FORUM 15 97

This content is only available via PDF.
You can access this article if you purchase or spend a download.