Cost-effective application of thermal protection on LPG road transport tanks for risk reduction due to hot BLEVE incidents.

A simplified risk and cost-benefit analysis is presented for the application of thermal protection (TP) on propane and LPG highway tanker trucks operating in North America. A risk analysis is performed to determine the benefits of risk reduction by TP, relative to the costs of applying and maintaining TP on a tanker truck. The results show that TP is cost effective if the tanker truck spends enough time (or travels enough distance) in areas of moderate or high population density. The analysis is very sensitive to a number of inputs, including: (i) value of life, (ii) hot boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion frequency, (iii) public exposure to severe hazards, and (iv) life cost of TP. With this simplified analysis, it is possible to generate tanker truck exposure times to the public that justify the application of TP based on cost and benefit considerations.