Safe City

Safe City

Introducing a Method for Determining the Safe Area of Urban Area Development at Risk of Explosion of Oil Depots (Case Study of Tehran Oil Depots)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Seyyed Reza Mousavi 1
Kambod Amini Hosseini 2
Hooman Motamed 3
1 Ph.D. Candidate, International Institute of Earthquake Engineering and Seismology, Tehran, Iran
2 Associate Professor, Earthquake Risk Management Research Center, International Institute of Earthquake Engineering and Seismology, Tehran, Iran
3 Assistant Professor, Earthquake Risk Management Research Center, International Institute of Earthquake Engineering and Seismology, Tehran, Iran
10.22034/ispdrc.2022.702210
Abstract
The proximity of residential structures to hazardous industrial facilities is one of the challenges facing
disaster management in natural or artificial disasters in today's modern world. Therefore, calculating the
consequences of damage to these facilities and its effects on damage and loss of residential structures is of
great importance in urban planning and disaster management. The consequences of damage to hazardous
facilities, depending on the type of activity and the hazardous materials they store, can be assessed in
different scenarios. Overpressure due to explosion, heat radiation due to fire, and poisoning due to the
spread of toxic substances are the main reasons for the threat to urban areas adjacent to hazardous
facilities. Different scenarios are considered in each case depending on the vulnerability and risk
reduction goals. Tehran is also exposed to various hazards caused by damage to hazardous facilities.
Among the types of facilities that are thought to be a severe threat to the residents of Tehran, the oil
depots in the northwest, northeast, and south of the city are more important. Therefore, determining the
safe area around these facilities and how to comply with them has always been one of the challenges in
crisis management in this city. This article, taking into account the consequences of the vapor cloud
explosion (as the worst-case scenario), determines the safe area around these three oil depots in Tehran.
For this purpose, two conventional methods have been used to calculate the overpressure due to vapor
cloud explosion. The difference between the results of the two methods has been discussed. Also, by
examining the vulnerability of the buildings around each of the oil depots, the standard overpressure for
the demolition of the buildings has been determined. Finally, the safe area around these facilities has been
calculated.
Keywords
Vapor Cloud Explosion (VCE)
Hazardous Installations
Oil Depot
Disaster Management
Safe Zone
Tehran
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