Chapter 5: Fault and event tree

construction
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Risk management process – overview

ISO 31000

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Risk management process: Identifying risks.

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Risk management process – in detail.
Analysing risks

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Fault tree symbols

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Electrical diagram

What are the causes of not having voltage at W1?

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Example of an “AND” gate

No voltage at W1

AND

No voltage from No voltage from

W2 - W4 W3 - W5

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Example of an “OR” gate

No voltage at W1

AND

No voltage from No voltage from

No voltage from
W2 - W4 W3 - W5

W2 - W4

OR

No voltage
S1 fails
at W4

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Completed fault tree

No voltage at W1

AND

No voltage from No voltage from

W2 - W4 W3 - W5

OR OR

No voltage No voltage
S1 fails S2 fails
at W4 at W5

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Construction of fault trees

Safety system to be analysed

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Safety system
Top event: “Safety device fails on demand”

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Safety system
Intermediate event: “No signal from Logic”

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Safety system fails on demand

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Safety system fails on demand

Boolean representation
G1 = G2 • G3= (BE1 + BE3 + G4) • (BE2 + BE3 + G4)

= (BE1 + BE3 + BE4 + BE3 + G5) • (BE2 + BE3 + BE4 + BE3 + G5)

= (BE1 + BE3 + BE4 + BE3 + G6 • G7) • (BE2 + BE3 + BE4 + BE3 + G6 • G7)

= (BE1 + BE3 + BE4 + BE3 + (BE5 + BE6) • (BE6 + BE7))•( BE2 + BE3 + BE4 +

BE3 + (BE5 + BE6) • (BE6 + BE7)).

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Safety system fails on demand

Minimal cut set representation

G1=(BE1 + BE3 + BE4 + BE3 + (BE5 + BE6) • (BE6 + BE7))•( BE2 + BE3 + BE4 +

BE3 + (BE5 + BE6) • (BE6 + BE7))

This Boolean expression can be reduced to the following

G1 = BE1 • BE2 + BE3 + BE4 + BE6 + BE5 • BE7

Safety device
fails on demand

● ●

BE1 BE2 BE3 BE4 BE6 BE5 BE7

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Equivalent trees

Safety device
fails on demand

● ●

BE1 BE2 BE3 BE4 BE6 BE5 BE7

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Equivalent trees

Safety device
fails on demand

● ●

BE1 BE2 BE3 BE4 BE6 BE5 BE7 BE1 BE5

BE3 BE4 BE6

BE2 BE7

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Minimal cut sets

A minimal cut-set is defined as the smallest combination of basic

events which, if they all occur, will cause the top event to occur.

G1 = BE1 • BE2 + BE3 + BE4 + BE6 + BE5 • BE7

First order
BE3 failure of power supply E1
BE6 failure of power supply E2
BE4 failure of logic (OR-gate)
Second order
BE1•BE2 failure of both protection units
BE5•BE7 failure of both sensors

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Construction of event trees

starts with the defining the initiating event and the collection of all
relevant heading events. The next step is to put the heading
events in the right order

Example. Suppose you want to read a book (initiating event is “I

want to read a book”) for which you need a reading lamp and your
reading glasses. A spare lamp and one more pair of old glasses
can also be available. So the events can be put in the following
order:
I want to The book The lamp No spare Glasses Old
read a is is lamp are glasses
book missing defective missing missing
A B C D E F

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Example: “I want to read a book”

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Consequence classes

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Complete event tree (not reduced)

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