Schematex
bowtie·CCPS / Energy Institute 2018·engineering, energy·complexity 3/3·since v0.6.6

LPG storage — loss of containment

The canonical process-safety bowtie — three threats fan in through preventative barrier chains, three consequences fan out through mitigative chains, around the central loss-of-containment top event.

For the process-safety engineer presenting a major-accident scenario

Open in Playground →
bowtie·§
↘ preview
100%
LPG storage — loss of containment Bowtie: hazard "LPG stored under pressure", top event "Loss of containment"; 3 threats, 3 consequences, 12 barriers. LPG storage — loss of containment Loss ofcontainment LPG stored under pressure Corrosion ofvessel wall Corrosion-resistantcoating UT thicknessinspection Overpressureduring filling High-pressuretrip (SIL 2) Pressure reliefvalve Mechanical impact(vehicle) Bollards /vehicle barriers Site speed limit+ banksman Jet fire Gas detection +ESD Deluge / waterspray Vapour cloudexplosion Ignition-sourcecontrol (ATEX) Blast-resistantcontrol room Toxic /asphyxiationexposure Personal gasmonitors Emergencyevacuation plan Threat Barrier (prevent / mitigate) Top event Consequence
UTF-8 · LF · 21 lines · 776 chars✓ parsed·2.2 ms·11.4 KB SVG

What this shows

The integrating picture of barrier-based risk management for one major-accident scenario. The hazard ("LPG stored under pressure") sits above the central top event — the moment control is lost. To the left, three credible threats each fan in through a chain of preventative barriers (grey, on the line) that stop them reaching the knot. To the right, three consequences each fan out through a chain of mitigative barriers that limit the damage if the top event occurs.

This is the shape a process-safety reviewer expects on an A3: defence-in-depth depth on both wings, the knot in the middle, the hazard above. Correct by construction — the engine would reject any threat or consequence drawn with no barrier (a Swiss-cheese cartoon), so every line you see genuinely passes through a control.

Bowtie syntax