Vertical Component Effect of Ground Motion on the Seismic Performance of a Typical Petrochemical Plant

The integrity and resilience of petrochemical plants after moderate-to-major earthquakes are critical due to the storage and processing of toxic or flammable chemicals in reactor tanks and vessels. The leakage of contents of such components can jeopardize the safety of personnel and cause devastating threats to the environment. Furthermore, structural damage caused by seismic events can disrupt operations and, in turn, generate enormous business interruption, plus impose costly repairs. Previous research studies have focused on scaling horizontal strong ground motion rather than considering the effects of vertical components of earthquakes. This analytical work proposes an advanced numerical three-dimensional modelling and robust analysis methods to investigate effects of vertical ground motions on the vulnerability of typical industrial oil and gas infrastructure. Responses from the multiple time-history analyses were used to determine the probability of damage across various damage states through seismic fragility analysis. The seismic risk assessment utilized this analysis, incorporating the unique hazard characteristics of the study region for a comprehensive evaluation.