Hazardous materials transportation: a risk-analysis-based routing methodology

This paper introduces a new methodology based on risk analysis for the selection of the best route for the transport of a hazardous substance. In order to perform this optimisation, the network is considered as a graph composed by nodes and arcs; each arc is assigned a cost per unit vehicle travelling on it and a vehicle capacity. After short discussion about risk measures suitable for linear risk sources, the arc capacities are introduced by comparison between the societal and individual risk measures of each arc with hazardous materials transportation risk criteria; then arc costs are defined in order to take into account both transportation out-of-pocket expenses and risk-related costs. The optimisation problem can thus be formulated as a 'minimum cost flow problem', which consists of determining for a specific hazardous substance the cheapest flow distribution, honouring the arc capacities, from the origin nodes to the destination nodes. The main features of the optimisation procedure, implemented on the computer code OPTIPATH, are presented. Test results about shipments of ammonia are discussed and finally further research developments are proposed.     

The cost and risk impacts of rerouting railroad shipments of hazardous materials

Rail shipments of hazardous materials expose the population near the routes to the possibility of an accident resulting in a spill. Rail routes are determined by economic concerns such as route length and the revenue generated for the originating carrier. In this paper we consider an alternate routing strategy that takes accident risks into account. We employ a model to quantify rail transport risk and then use a weighted combination of cost and risk and generate alternate routes. In some cases the alternate routes achieve significantly lower risk values than the practical routes at a small incremental cost. While there are generally fewer rerouting alternatives for rail than for road transport, considering the possible consequences of a train derailment we argue that risk should be taken into account when selecting rail routes and that the cost-risk tradeoffs should be evaluated.     

Methodological framework for developing decision support systems (DSS) for hazardous materials emergency response operations

The production, storage, and transportation of hazardous materials are processes of vital economic importance for any advanced and technologically complex society. Although the production and distribution of hazardous materials is associated with economic development, there is a significant potential danger to the natural and social environment in the event of their accidental release, a fact that prompts for the development and implementation of methods and techniques that aim to improve hazardous materials risk management decisions. The objective of this paper is to present a unified framework for developing a Decision Support System (DSS) for supporting a vital function of risk management, namely the management of emergency response operations. The proposed framework recognizes the peculiarities of the hazardous materials decision-making environment which is characterized by: (i) multiple stakeholders, i.e., persons and organizations involved in and affected by hazardous materials risk management decisions; (ii) lack of a formal management structure for monitoring and controlling in a unified manner all Emergency Response Resources; (iii) lack of clear distinction and fragmentation of responsibilities of the actors involved in risk management operations; and (iv) dynamic/real-time decisions, i.e., risk determinants change over time. The proposed framework was used in order to develop a DSS for managing emergency response operations for large scale industrial accidents in Western Attica, Greece.     

罐式危化品多式联运调度模型研究

随着我国危化品需求的快速增长,危化品运输事故也越频繁。为了降低危化品运输风险,保障运输安全,本文尝试将以罐式集装箱为载体的危化品调度问题与多式联运结合起来,建立了带时间约束的成本和风险最小的多目标规划模型。在此基础上,利用二维欧氏距离客观赋值的模糊算法求解模型。结合算例验证,将多式联运应用到危化品调度问题有利于降低风险,确保调度的安全性。同时,该方法能在风险可控的范围内,实现调度成本的最小化。     

Generalized railway tank car safety design optimization for hazardous materials transport: addressing the trade-off between transportation efficiency and safety

North America railways offer safe and generally the most economical means of long distance transport of hazardous materials. Nevertheless, in the event of a train accident releases of these materials can pose substantial risk to human health, property or the environment. The majority of railway shipments of hazardous materials are in tank cars. Improving the safety design of these cars to make them more robust in accidents generally increases their weight thereby reducing their capacity and consequent transportation efficiency. This paper presents a generalized tank car safety design optimization model that addresses this tradeoff. The optimization model enables evaluation of each element of tank car safety design, independently and in combination with one another. We present the optimization model by identifying a set of Pareto-optimal solutions for a baseline tank car design in a bicriteria decision problem. This model provides a quantitative framework for a rational decision-making process involving tank car safety design enhancements to reduce the risk of transporting hazardous materials.     

Methodology for evaluation of possible consequences of accidental atmospheric releases of hazardous matter

Sites exist with high levels of risk of accidental atmospheric releases. These releases can be hazardous nuclear, chemical, and biological matter. Such accidents may occur during transport of waste, or they may be due to natural hazards, human errors, terror acts or various operations at high risk. Considering the operation of lifting and transport of the sunken Kursk nuclear submarine as an example, a methodology for risk assessment is described. This methodology includes two approaches: (1) probabilistic analysis of possible atmospheric transport pathways using trajectory modelling, and (2) evaluation of possible contamination and consequences using real-time operational atmospheric dispersion modelling. The first approach can be applied in advance of an operation during the preparation stage, the second in real time during the operation stage. For the cases considered in this study, the results of trajectory modelling are supported by the operational dispersion modelling, i.e., the westerly flow is dominant during fall occurring 79% of the time. Hence, September-October 2001 was more appropriate for the lifting and transport of the Kursk nuclear submarine in comparison with summer months, when atmospheric transport toward the populated regions of the Kola and Scandinavian Peninsulas was dominant. The suggested methodology may be applied to any potentially dangerous object involving a risk of atmospheric release of hazardous material of nuclear, chemical or biological nature.     

Package performance testing of dangerous goods in high‐altitude shipments

This paper discusses the impact of high‐altitude shipments on package integrity. High‐altitude shipments are encountered when trucks travel over high mountain passes or when cargo and feeder aircraft transport packages in non‐pressurized or partially‐pressurized cargo holds. Both these types of transport methods will result in severe changes in pressure as compared to packages being transported close to sea level. The testing of packages under these conditions is critical since package integrity may be compromised. The current shipping tests performed in test laboratories do not account for pressure changes and vibration together. This study showed that combination packages for dangerous goods and hazardous materials that are tested to existing UN, ICAO and US DOT requirements are limited, and can result in significant number of leaks. Testing under combined vibration and pressure changes is necessary. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synchronized routing of active and passive means of transport

This paper addresses a routing problem where the fulfillment of transport requests requires two types of transport resources, namely, passive and active means of transport. The passive means are used for holding the cargo that is to be shipped from pickup to delivery locations. The active means take up the passive means and carry them from one location to another. Compared to classical vehicle routing problems, the additional challenge in this combined routing problem is that the operations of both transport resources have to be synchronized. In this paper, we provide a modeling approach for the joint routing of passive and active means of transport. We solve the problem by large neighborhood search meta-heuristics that utilize various problem-specific components, for example local search techniques for the routes of active and passive means. A computational study on a large set of benchmark instances is used for assessing the performance of the meta-heuristics.     

Applying genetic algorithm to a new location and routing model of hazardous materials

Nowadays – particularly in systems dealing with hazardous materials (HAZMAT) – in addition to minimising the cost of operations in facility location and routing problems, the risk of these operations is considered an important objective. In this paper, a new mathematical model for the location and routing in facilities and disposal sites is proposed. Also, the risk and cost of transporting goods from facilities to customers is considered. The model minimises weighted sum of the cost and risk by answering these questions: (1) where to open the facilities which produce HAZMAT; (2) where to open disposal sites; (3) to which facilities every customer should be assigned; (4) to which disposal site each facility should be assigned; (5) which route a facility should choose to serve the customers; and (6) which route a facility should choose to reach a disposal site. A novel GA is applied to solve the mathematical model. The results show the robustness of GA in terms of finding high-quality non-dominated solutions and running time.     

The bi-objective two-dimensional loading vehicle routing problem with partial conflicts

The two-dimensional loading vehicle routing problem with partial conflicts combines two NP-hard problems: the classical vehicle routing problem and the two-dimensional bin-packing problem with partial conflicts. This new variant of transportation problems is inspired from hazardous materials classification and compatibilities, where some materials can be partially conflicting. In this case, they can be loaded together but an additional constraint on the distance separating them must be respected. We propose in this paper an NSGA-II algorithm to perform a bi-objective study in which the minimization of the total cost of transportation as well as the load balancing between different routes in terms of used area of vehicles are the considered objectives. The first results for this new problem are presented, using benchmarks available in the literature that have been adapted to deal with the problem. Moreover, the adding value of path relinking is proved with different statistical measurements.     

Decision making in hazardous materials transportation

There are presently countless methods of risk analysis/risk assessment to make effective judgments of the safety of the movement of particular cargoes. Two tools to determine the hazard presented by a large quantity of hazardous materials are the “Equivalent Safety Concept” developed by Danahy and Gathy and the “Population Vulnerability Model” developed by Enviro Control, Inc. The Equivalent Safety Concept is a noncomputer technique that develops indexes for cargo hazard, for vessel design, and port safety. These are used to assist in a judgmental decision of authorization of vessel transit. The Population Vulnerability Model is a computer simulation of a cargo spill integrated with census data. The damage to life and property are calculated using the census data and the cargo properties to determine the number of deaths and injuries to personnel and dollar loss from the cargo release. The results and relative hazards calculated using these techniques are compared and analyzed.     

危险品运输选线的定量风险评价模型

定量化风险评价是危险品道路运输选线的重要决策依据,但在如何定量其风险方面往往存在分歧。系统地总结了常见的危险品运输定 量风险评价模型,将其划分为传统风险评价模型及其特例、感知风险模型、条件风险模型、侧重后果的避灾风险模型以及改进后的传统风险模 型5类,分析了风险评价模型的性质和原则,对将来的研究发展提出了建议 。     

The methodologies of hazardous materials transportation risk assessment

Intense interest now exists in the potential of risk assessment as an aid to public and private decision making on hazardous activities. Inadequacies in its methodologies and supporting data have nevertheless so far limited its efficacy in practice. Among attacks on the problem of improving this efficacy is a project supported by the National Science Foundation which identifies and focuses on improvements in particular areas of uncertainty in risk assessment methodologies. This paper presents some of the project's material that pertains to hazardous materials transportation. It overviews the general risk assessment problem, presents a structured review of the types of methodologies employed in estimating the contribution to risk of the different phases of a hazardous material incident, and then reviews the procedures available for the evaluation of the significance of the risks estimated, and of potential means for their mitigation. Comments are made throughout, and in the paper's conclusions, on the problems arising in these estimation and evaluation processes, and on general approaches to their resolution.     

Hazard assessment of substances produced from the accidental heating of chemical compounds

Accidental events concerning process industries can affect not only the staff working in, but also the environment and people living next to the factory. For this reason a regulation is imposed by the European Community to prevent accidents that could represent a risk for the population and the environment. In particular, Directive 96/82/CE, the so-called 'Seveso II directive', requests a risk analysis involving also the hazardous materials generated in accidental events. Therefore, it is necessary to develop simple and economic procedure to foresee the hazardous materials that can be produced in the case of major accidents, among which the accidental heating of a chemical due to a fire or a runaway reaction is one of the most frequent. The procedure proposed in this work is based on evolved gas analysis methodology that consists in coupling two instruments: a thermogravimetric analyzer or a flash pyrolyzer, that are employed to simulate accident conditions, and a FTIR spectrometer that can be used to detect the evolved gas composition. More than 40 materials have been examined in various accident scenarios and the obtained data have been statistically analyzed in order to identify meaningful correlations between the presence of a chemical group in the molecule of a chemical and the presence of a given hazardous species in the fume produced.     

Rerouting railroad shipments of hazardous materials to avoid populated areas

The casualty risk due to hazardous material releases from railroad cars in the U.S. is estimated for a recent year. Approximate flow patterns of hazardous materials in that year are generated using a national network model. Alternative flow patterns representing population-avoidance rerouting policies are also generated, and some aggregate impacts are estimated with and without track upgrading. We find that population exposure can be reduced 25–50% by rerouting, at the cost of a 15–30% increase in traffic circuity. We also formulate and apply a risk model which shows that extensive routing changes can reduce casualties by about 50% but that extensive upgrading with or without rerouting can be even more effective. The effects on urban areas of the hypothetical changes are discussed, but financial impacts on the railroads are not addressed.     

Physical factors affecting kinesin-based transport of synthetic nanoparticle cargo

Recently, kinesin biomolecular motors and microtubules filaments (MTs) were used to transport metal and semiconductor nanoparticles with the long-term goal of exploiting this active transport system to dynamically assemble nanostructured materials. In some cases, however, the presence of nanoparticle cargo on MTs was shown to inhibit transport by interfering with kinesin-MT interactions. The primary objectives of this work were (1) to determine what factors affect the ability of kinesin and MTs to transport nanoparticle cargo, and (2) to establish a functional parameter space in which kinesin and MTs can support unimpeded transport of nanoparticles and materials. Of the factors evaluated, nanoparticle density on a given MT was the most significant factor affecting kinesin-based transport of nanoparticles. The density of particles was controlled by limiting the number of available linkage sites (i.e., biotinylated tubulin), and/or the relative concentration of nanoparticles in solution. Nanoparticle size was also a significant factor affecting transport, and attributed to the ability of particles < 40 nm in diameter to bind to the "underside" of the MT, and block kinesin transport. Overall, a generalized method of assembling and transporting a range of nanoparticle cargo using kinesin and MTs was established.     

Pickup truck use in the National Personal Transportation Survey.

To guide interventions to prevent injuries to pickup-truck occupants, we characterized pickup truck ownership, drivers and use in the 1995 National Personal Transportation Survey, which collects travel data from the civilian noninstitutionalized population of the US. SUDAAN software was used to account for the complex nature of the sample. Pickup truck ownership was more common in households with more vehicles, in rural households, in households living in single family homes and mobile homes, and in middle-income households. Among US regions, pickup truck ownership was highest among households in the mountain west. Pickup truck ownership was greater in households with two adults, whether or not children or youths were present, but this was largely due to the number of vehicles in these households. Driving a pickup on the sample day was more frequent among men, among drivers with less education and among full-time workers. A higher proportion of trips to work, work-related trips, longer trips and trips with fewer people were by pickup truck. Seat belt use was lower among pickup truck drivers than drivers of other vehicles. For only 0.5% of households (those with three or more members and a pickup truck as their only vehicle), restrictions on travel in cargo areas might be burdensome. Restrictions on cargo area travel, strengthening existing seat belt laws and social marketing strategies might increase the safety of pickup truck occupants.     

功能性多孔炭材料在突发性环境污染事故中的应用

多孔炭材料具有比表面积大、孔结构发达等优点，是应急处理泄漏油品、有毒化学品和废水的理想吸附剂。通过对多孔炭材料作为吸附剂在突发性环境污染事故中的应用研究进行了归纳和总结，对多孔炭材料在突发性环境污染事故中的应用前景及未来工作进行了评述和展望。讨论了突发性环境污染事故应急处置过程中基于多孔炭材料的合理技术路线和工艺条件，指出研发新型功能性多孔炭材料及做好基础数据的积累是今后研究工作的努力方向。     

Improving the design of higher-capacity railway tank cars for hazardous materials transport: optimizing the trade-off between weight and safety

As with many aspects of modern industrial society, decision-makers face trade-offs in considering hazardous materials transportation equipment and practices. Tank cars used for transport of hazardous materials can be made more resistant to damage in accidents through use of a thicker steel tank and other protective features. However, the additional weight of these features reduces the car's capacity and thus its efficiency as a transportation vehicle. In this paper the problem of tank car safety versus weight is developed as a multi-attribute decision problem. North American railroads recently developed specifications for higher capacity tank cars for transportation of hazardous materials including enhanced safety design features. A group of tank car safety design features or "risk reduction options" (RROs) were analyzed with regard to their effect on the conditional probability of release in an accident, and their incremental effect on tank car weight. All possible combinations of these RROs were then analyzed in terms of the reduced release probability per unit of weight increase and the Pareto optimal set of options identified. This set included the combinations of RROs that provided the greatest improvement in safety with the least amount of additional weight for any desired level of tank car weight increase. The analysis was conducted for both non-insulated and insulated tank cars and used two objective functions, minimization of conditional probability of release, and minimization of expected quantity lost, given that a car was derailed in an accident. Sensitivity analyses of the effect of tank car size and use of different objective functions were conducted and the optimality results were found to be robust. The results of this analysis were used by the Association of American Railroads Tank Car Committee to develop new specifications for higher capacity non-insulated and insulated, non-pressure tank cars resulting in an estimated 32% and 24% respective improvement in safety.     

A bi-level network interdiction model for solving the hazmat routing problem

In the current work, we considered the problem of hazardous material distribution where the distributer chooses the routes on the network, and a regulatory agency controls the behaviour of the distributer to traverse the specified routes. In these circumstances, the distributer sets to select some routes to minimise the total distributing costs. Mostly, this occurs due to selecting risky arcs in which more individuals are exposed to risk. To prevent this and increase the capability to deal with the risk of hazardous material transportation through roads, the regulatory agency obliges carriers to traverse through the most secure arcs, though imposing more distribution costs. The problem is modelled as a bi-level routing problem. The bi-level model is difficult to solve and may be ill-posed. Two meta-heuristic algorithms are proposed to solve the bi-level model, and some randomly generated problems are applied to show the applicability and efficiency of the proposed algorithms.