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Publications

2018
Djebabra M, Boulagouas W, Chaib R. Contribution of the integrated management system to the organizational alignement of an inddustrial organization. International Seminar in Industrial Engineering and Applied Mathematics (ISIEAM'2018). 2018.
MCHEBILA. Simultaneous evaluation of safety integrity’s performance indicators with a generalized implementation of common cause failures. Process Safety and Environmental Protection [Internet]. 2018;2018 (117(7) :214-222. Publisher's VersionAbstract
The average unavailability and the average unconditional failure intensity of safety-instrumented systems represent the main performance indicators of safety integrity. This paper employs an approach based on the exploitation of the availability expression to obtain both performance measures in a simultaneous and straightforward way for any KooN configuration. The implementation of such an approach is generalized to take into account the contribution of common cause failures using any parametric model. The validation of the obtained results is verified through their application using several architectures and using Beta Factor and Binomial Failure Rate models to handle such type of dependent events. Therefore, the contribution of this paper lies in proposing one single formula that can be used to estimate the two main safety integrity’s performance indicators for any KooN architecture using any kind of common cause failures parametric model.
SELLAMI I, NAIT-SAID R, CHETEHOUNA K, IZARRA C, Zidani F. Quantitative consequence analysis using Sedov-Taylor blast wave model. Part II: Case study in an Algerian gas industry. Process Safety and Environmental Protection [Internet]. 2018;2018 (116(5) :771-779. Publisher's VersionAbstract

In the oil and gas industry, it is common to use gas liquefaction that allows storage and transport of large quantities of LNG and LPG. One of the main disadvantages of this storage mode is the BLEVE risk, which remains a major concern for risk decision-makers. In order to prevent the occurrence of this risk and reduce its impact, risk analysts often use quantitative risk analysis (QRA), which is based on the understanding and quantification of the accidental phenomena and their consequences (overpressure, thermal radiation, toxicity dose). QRA is a rigorous and advanced approach that requires reliable data in order to obtain a good estimate and control of risks. The main objective of this paper (Part II) is to integrate the Sedov-Taylor model developed in Part I into the QRA approach in order to evaluate BLEVE blast effect, and illustrate it with a case study on a pressurized LPG accumulator located in the MPP3-plant of SONATRACH company in the Hassi R'Mel gas field (the largest gas field in Algeria). A parametric analysis of the fuel mass, temperature at failure and rupture pressure is carried out to study their influence on the evolution of BLEVE overpressure. In addition, the evaluation of BLEVE thermal effect is performed in order to better realize an exhaustive QRA. Through this application, the results show the great relevance of the Sedov-Taylor model in the consequence analysis and also in the development of process safety recommendations.

SELLAMI I, NAIT-SAID R, IZARRA C, CHETEHOUNA K, Zidani F. Quantitative consequence analysis using Sedov-Taylor blast wave model. Part I: Model description and validation. Process Safety and Environmental Protection [Internet]. 2018;2018 (116(5) :763-770. Publisher's Version
SELLAMI I, MANESCAU B, CHETEHOUNA K, IZARRA C, NAIT-SAID R, Zidani F. BLEVE fireball modeling using Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) in an Algerian gas industry. Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries [Internet]. 2018;2018 (54(7) :69-84. Publisher's VersionAbstract

BLEVE is one of major accidents observed in gas industry causing severe damage to people and environment. Its effects are manifested in three ways: shock wave propagation, fireball radiation and fragments projection. To assess these effects, risk decision-makers often use Quantitative Risk Analysis (QRA). In most cases, QRA data are obtained from empirical correlations. However, these correlations are not very satisfactory because they generally overestimate BLEVE effects and do not take into account geometry effects. In order to overcome the limitations of these empirical approaches, CFD modeling appears as a powerful tool able to provide more accurate data to better realize QRA. In this paper, the objective is to develop a CFD methodology in order to predict BLEVE thermal effects. Numerical simulations are carried out using the CFD code FDS. A sensitivity analysis of numerical models is performed in order to choose the right parameters allowing to model the fireball dynamics. The models retained are based on a single-step combustion using EDC model coupled with a LES turbulence model. Predictions show good agreement in comparison with results issued from three large-scale experiments. Furthermore, a case study on a propane accumulator in an Algerian gas processing unit is carried out.

CHETTOUH S, HAMZI R, MCHEBILA. Contribution of the lessons learned from oil refining accidents to the industrial risks assessment. Management of Environmental Quality [Internet]. 2018;2018 (29(4) :643-665. Publisher's VersionAbstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to employ lessons learned from the industrial accidents in Skikda refinery during the period from 2005 to 2016 as input data for the numerical simulation of risk consequences to identify the exposed areas to the various effects of industrial accidents.

Design/methodology/approach

In order to assess how the lessons learned can contribute to modeling the accidents effects in the refining activities, this paper presents a combined statistical/dynamic approach that combines two main tools, namely, lessons learned from petroleum refining in Algeria and Areal Locations of Hazardous Atmospheres software.

Findings

The results showed that fire is the most frequent accident at Skikda refinery that is mainly caused by equipment failures with a frequent involvement of crude oil and LNG. The NO2 toxic effects are unacceptable. This means that in the case of a similar accident, the entire population will be exposed to an intolerable concentration of NO2. Therefore, people must be relocated to a safer place. The results indicate that the concentration threshold can be met beyond the distance of 1 km.

Research limitations/implications

Due to the economic importance of Skikda refinery and the absence of data related to the accidents in the refineries of Algiers, Arzew and Hassi Messaoud, this study is limited to the statistical analysis of accidents related to Skikda refinery.

Practical implications

This approach makes the risk assessment more practical and effective for the appropriate utilization of safety barriers and for the whole decision-making process.

Originality/value

This work presents a review paper of accidents that occurred in the oil-refining sector in Algeria, whose objective is learning lessons from past accidents history, by identifying their immediate causes and effects on personnel, equipment and environment in order to propose prevention measures. The novelty of this work is highlighted by the fact that this statistical analysis of oil and gas refining accident is realized for the first time in Algeria. This is due to the difficulty of obtaining data on accidents in the Algerian refining sector; for this reason, the authors have limited the study to the Skikda refinery.

SAADI S, DJEBABRA M, BOULAGOUAS W. Contribution to the declination of the dependability requirements using a three-dimensional decomposition of complex systems. Prod. Eng. Res. Devel [Internet]. 2018;2018 (12) :647–658. Publisher's VersionAbstract
The declination of the dependability requirements of the complex systems is one of the most critical processes of systems conception as well as systems engineering. We consider that these dependability requirements must be globally considered at the complete system level if they are to be respected before being allocated on the components of the system. Our approach is based on a three-dimensional decomposition model of the system whose purpose is to describe the way in which the system operates in order to deduce its dysfunction that serves as a basic support for the declination of the dependability requirements. The proposed method is applied to a nitric acid cooling system before being introduced into a chemical reactor.
MCHEBILA. Bayesian Networks for Frequency Analysis in Dependability. J Fail. Anal. and Preven [Internet]. 2018;2018 (18) :538–544. Publisher's VersionAbstract
The high suppleness of Bayesian networks has led to their wide application in a variety of dependability modeling and analysis problems. The main objective of this paper is to extend the use of such powerful tool to estimate the occurrence frequency of failures and consequences in a straightforward way. Such extension is based on the employment of a transformation operator to substitute the original terms with matrices that hold the full dependability description of the corresponding element. Two simple case studies in reliability and safety contexts are treated using the suggested method whose results are validated through their comparison to the corresponding results of other classical dependability techniques.
2017
Djebabra M. Proposal of managerial approach of reliability continuous improvement. 2nd Int. Conf. on Applied Automation and Industrial Diagnostics (ICAAID 2017). 2017.
SAL R, NAIT-SAID R, BOURARECHE M. Dealing with uncertainty in effect analysis of test strategies on safety instrumented system performance. Int J SystAssurEngManag [Internet]. 2017;8 :1945–1958. Publisher's Version
ZEROUKI H, SMADI H. Bayesian Belief Network Used in the Chemical and Process Industry: A Review and Application. Journal of Failure Analysis and Prevention [Internet]. 2017;17 :159-165. Publisher's Version
SAADI S, DJEBABRA M, BOULAGOUAS W. Contribution to the evaluation of the environmental risks induced by the worn-water discharges of an Algerian tannery. World Journal of Science, Technology and Sustainable Development [Internet]. 2017;14 (4) :268-278. Publisher's Version
MOKHTARI S, DJEBARA M, BELLAALA D, BOULAGOUAS W. Contribution to the investment evaluation in terms of the forest fires prevention using the cost-benefit analysis method", , 2017, :. Management of Environmental Quality [Internet]. 2017;28 (5) :651-663. Publisher's Version
SMAIAH M, DJBABRA M, BAHMED L. Contribution to the Improvement of the MADS–MOSAR Method for the Modeling of Domino Effects. J Fail. Anal. and Preven [Internet]. 2017;17 :440–449. Publisher's Version
2016
Charrouf O, Betka A, hadef H, Djebabra M, Tiar M. Degradation evaluation of PV modules operating under Northern Saharan environment in Algeria. The International Conference on Technologies and Materials for Renewable Energy. Environment and Sustainability. 16-18 November . 2016.
SMAIAH M, BAHMED L. Proposal For an environmental risk management approach applied in Algerian ports: the case of Bethioua port (Algeria). International Journal of Environmental Engineering [Internet]. 2016;8 (2-3) :213-224. Publisher's VersionAbstract

Background

Noncompliance of operators with work procedures is a recurrent problem. This human behavior has been said to be situational and studied by many different approaches (ergonomic and others), which consider the noncompliance with work procedures to be obvious and seek to analyze its causes as well as consequences.

Methods

The object of the proposed method is to solve this problem by focusing on the performance of work procedures and ensuring improved performance on a continuous basis.

Results

This study has multiple results: (1) assessment of the work procedures' performance by a multicriteria approach; (2) the use of a continuous improvement approach as a framework for the sustainability of the assessment method of work procedures' performance; and (3) adaptation of the Stop-Card as a facilitator support for continuous improvement of work procedures.

Conclusion

The proposed method emphasizes to put in value the inputs of continuous improvement of the work procedures in relation with the conventional approaches which adopt the obvious evidence of the noncompliance to the working procedures and seek to analyze the cause–effect relationships related to this unacceptable phenomenon, especially in strategic industry.

LAIDOUNE A, RAHALGHARBI M-H. Analysis Testing of Sociocultural Factors Influence on Human Reliability within Sociotechnical Systems: The Algerian Oil Companies. Safety and Health at Work [Internet]. 2016;7 (3) :194-200. Publisher's VersionAbstract

Background

The influence of sociocultural factors on human reliability within an open sociotechnical systems is highlighted. The design of such systems is enhanced by experience feedback.

Methods

The study was focused on a survey related to the observation of working cases, and by processing of incident/accident statistics and semistructured interviews in the qualitative part. In order to consolidate the study approach, we considered a schedule for the purpose of standard statistical measurements. We tried to be unbiased by supporting an exhaustive list of all worker categories including age, sex, educational level, prescribed task, accountability level, etc. The survey was reinforced by a schedule distributed to 300 workers belonging to two oil companies. This schedule comprises 30 items related to six main factors that influence human reliability.

Results

Qualitative observations and schedule data processing had shown that the sociocultural factors can negatively and positively influence operator behaviors.

Conclusion

The explored sociocultural factors influence the human reliability both in qualitative and quantitative manners. The proposed model shows how reliability can be enhanced by some measures such as experience feedback based on, for example, safety improvements, training, and information. With that is added the continuous systems improvements to improve sociocultural reality and to reduce negative behaviors.

CHIREMSEL Z, NAIT-SAID R, CHIREMSEL R. Probabilistic Fault Diagnosis of Safety Instrumented Systems based on Fault Tree Analysis and Bayesian Network. J Fail. Anal. and Preven [Internet]. 2016;16 :747–760. Publisher's VersionAbstract
Safety instrumented systems (SISs) are used in the oil and gas industry to detect the onset of hazardous events and/or to mitigate their consequences to humans, assets, and environment. A relevant problem concerning these systems is failure diagnosis. Diagnostic procedures are then required to determine the most probable source of undetected dangerous failures that prevent the system to perform its function. This paper presents a probabilistic fault diagnosis approach of SIS. This is a hybrid approach based on fault tree analysis (FTA) and Bayesian network (BN). Indeed, the minimal cut sets as the potential sources of SIS failure were generated via qualitative analysis of FTA, while diagnosis importance factor of components was calculated by converting the standard FTA in an equivalent BN. The final objective is using diagnosis data to generate a diagnosis map that will be useful to guide repair actions. A diagnosis aid system is developed and implemented under SWI-Prolog tool to facilitate testing and diagnosing of SIS.
INNAL F, MCHEBILA, DUTUIT Y. Uncertainty handling in safety instrumented systems according to IEC 61508 and new proposal based on coupling Monte Carlo analysis and fuzzy sets. Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries [Internet]. 2016;44 (11) :503-514. Publisher's VersionAbstract
Safety instrumented systems must be designed, built and operated to meet tolerable risk level as required regulatory agencies. This requirement is closely related to their probabilistic performance measures which are either their average probability of dangerous failure on demand (PFDavg) or their average frequency of failure (PFH: Probability of Failure per Hour). The object of this work is the SIS performances evaluation taking into account the uncertainties related to the different parameters that come into play: failure rate (λ), common cause failure proportion (β), diagnostic coverage (DC), etc. This leads to an accurate and therefore safe assessment of the safety integrity level (SIL) inherent to safety functions performed by such systems. This aim is in keeping with the requirement of the IEC 61508 standard with respect to handling uncertainty. In this paper we first explain in detail the IEC 61508 approach for handling uncertainty. Afterwards, we propose an approach that combines (i) Monte Carlo analysis (MCA) and (ii) fuzzy sets. Indeed, the first method is appropriate when representative statistical data are available (using pdf of the relating parameters), while the latter applies in the case characterized by vague and subjective information (using membership function). The proposed approach is fully supported with a suitable computer code developed under the MATLAB environment.
BOUDA A, BACHARI N, BAHMED L, BOUBENIA R. Design of a risk assessment methodology for the introduction of invasive species from ship ballast waters: The case of Arzew port". Management of Environmental Quality [Internet]. 2016;27 (5) :474-490. Publisher's VersionAbstract
Purpose – Ballast water of merchant ship is a source of introduction of invasive species around the globe. The purpose of this paper is to present a quantitative risk assessment applied to a model port, the Port of Arzew in Algeria, and based on an analysis of this port’s shipping traffic. Design/methodology/approach – The risk assessment for introduction of invasive species is interpreted in the form of a probabilistic process, with a combination of two probabilities. The first probability is related to the ability of a species to arrive to the destination (recipient port), depending on the quantity of water ballast discharged and the duration of voyage. The second one is based on the species ability to survive in their new environment, which depends on the environmental similarity between donor port and Arzew port. Findings – This assessment’s outcome consists on a classification of scenarios regarding their acceptability. Consequently, it helped to classify donor ports according to a risk scale, from low risk to high-risk donor ports. Research limitations/implications – The phenomenon of invasion of aquatic species is a complex process. Factors such as adaptation and tolerance of species, the attendance or absence of predators, were not taken into account in this study. Practical implications – This study could be used by the maritime administration as a decision-making tool regarding the issue of exemptions under the IMO International Convention on the Management of Ballast Water and Sediments 2004. Originality/value – This is one of the first known studies in Algeria and dealing with ballast water management. The results of this assessment provide useful information to policy makers, in order to develop a national strategy to reduce the impact of shipping pollution on the marine environment.

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