HAZOP using Stateflow software: Methodology and case study

Abstract

Safety is paramount to any process plant facilities and its design process. To ensure that safety is considered in design stages, process safety analysis such as hazard and operability studies are often carried out to address safety concerns throughout the stages of plant design to operation. However, conventional HAZOP studies are labor-intensive and expensive. This paper aims to provide a semi-automated HAZOP study using a computer-aided tool called Stateflow. It describes the rule-based approach and algorithm used to develop the automated HAZOP process. The paper also highlights the limitations and challenges faced and finishes with the potential areas for further works on Stateflow to enhance the HAZOP automation capabilities.