Identifying critical components in technical infrastructure networks

Summary, in English

A new method for identifying and ranking critical components and sets of components in technical infrastructures is presented. The criticality of a component or a set of components is defined as the vulnerability of the system to failure in a specific component, or set of components. The identification of critical components is increasingly difficult when considering multiple simultaneous failures. This is especially difficult when dealing with failures of multiple components with synergistic consequences, i.e. consequences that cannot be calculated by adding the consequences of the individual failures. The proposed method addresses this problem. In exemplifying the method, an analysis of an electric power distribution system in a Swedish municipality is presented. It is concluded that the proposed method facilitates the identification of critical sets of components for large-scale technical infrastructures.

• Författare: Henrik Hassel; Jonas Johansson; Henrik Tehler
• Avdelning/ar: Avdelningen för Brandteknik; Lund University Centre for Risk Assessment and Management (LUCRAM); Avdelningen för Riskhantering och Samhällssäkerhet; Industriell elektroteknik och automation
• Publiceringsår: 2008
• Språk: Engelska
• Sidor: 235-243
• Publikation/Tidskrift/Serie: Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Part O: Journal of Risk and Reliability
• Volym: 222
• Issue: 2
• Länkar: http://dx.doi.org/10.1243/1748006XJRR138
• Dokumenttyp: Artikel i tidskrift
• Förlag: Proc. IMechE, PartO
• Ämne: Building Technologies; Other Electrical Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Information Engineering; Social Sciences Interdisciplinary; Other Civil Engineering
• Nyckelord: network analysis; electric power systems; vulnerability; critical components; infrastructure networks
• Status: Published
• ISBN/ISSN/Övrigt: ISSN: 1748-006X