• damage models
• environmental hazard
• flooding
• hazardous materials release
• major accident hazard
• natech
• pipe rack
• pipeline

NaTechs are technological accidents triggered by a natural hazard or disaster which results in consequences involving hazardous substances. Due to climate changes, natural events such as floods are more frequent and the analysis of most important databases highlight that the problem involve industrial equipment resulting in accidental scenarios. In the framework of the QRA (Quantitative Risk Assessment) is important to use vulnerability models in order to obtain estimation of damage probability. Vulnerability models are available for storage tanks both atmospheric and pressurized, which are the most damaged equipment items. No model is available in literature to assess vulnerability of pipelines involved in flooding events, the second most vulnerable industrial equipment. The aim of the thesis is the development of a model enabling the evaluation of the vulnerability of pipelines involved in flooding scenarios. The model developed is applied in a case study and the problem related to the underestimation of NaTechs by traditional standards is highlighted.