FEP Methodology can provide a framework to conduct thorough risk assessments of SCS Projects, to inform robust monitoring plans via comprehensive event and hazard identification.
What is FEP methodology?
- Features, Events and Processes (FEP) methodology is an established risk assessment practice, which aids identification of system elements that could become hazards.
- It is used in the nuclear energy industry for risk assessment of radioactive waste disposal and is recognized as a valid approach for SCS projects.
- It involves identification of all potential failure modes without pre-judging how significant each one might be.
- The risk assessment should include both subsurface technical risks and those above-ground.
Benefits
- A comprehensive list of FEPs in a risk register at the beginning of an SCS project, is critical to ensuring a thorough risk assessment that is suitable for informing robust monitoring plans.
- This process can also be helpful to avoid biases that might impact interpretations and decision-making.
- A thorough risk register also forms a record of knowledge and decision-making and should be treated as an evolving document throughout the project.
Where to start
A comprehensive database published by Quintessa can be used as a starting point. It includes more than 200 generic FEPs and 20 impacts, specific to geological CO2 storage projects.
Not all the FEPs included in this database will be relevant to every project, but we can build an initial risk register with this comprehensive list and supplement with analyses of past projects. This helps ensure that important failure modes are not overlooked or prematurely discounted.
How can we utilize the results?
- The FEP methodology helps us understand and fully characterize potential hazards so that their effects may be mitigated and robust monitoring plans can be implemented.
- Of the many FEPs that could impact an SCS project, even those that occur may not actually result in hazards or project failure. But unexpected events may provide an early warning that initial model assumptions need to be revisited.
- Interdependencies between hazards and the potential for cascading effects that could increase the likelihood or severity of impacts also need to be identified.
The bottom line is that building a comprehensive view of all possible FEPs is an important early step in the risk assessment process for SCS projects, prior to determining the frequency with which a given event may occur. This helps us understand and fully characterize potential hazards so that their effects may be mitigated and robust monitoring plans can be implemented.