A hybrid machine learning model for predicting crater width formed by explosions of natural gas pipelines

Despite the existence of industry models for estimating the crater width formed by the explosion of natural gas pipelines, their applicability is still limited since the complex formation mechanisms. In this work, a novel hybrid model was developed to predict crater width formed by explosions of natural gas pipelines, using artificial neural networks (ANN) as the fundamental predictor. Based on the historical accident records, the proposed hybrid model was trained by the pipeline parameter, the operating condition, the installation parameter, and the crater width. A novel nature-inspired optimization algorithm, i.e., the Lévy-Weighted Quantum particle swarm optimization (LWQPSO) algorithm, was proposed to optimize the ANN model's parameters. Three machine learning models were developed for comparative reasons to predict the crater width. The use of precision and error analysis indicators assesses prediction performance. The results show that the proposed hybrid model (LWQPSO-ANN) has high prediction accuracy and stability, which outperforms QPSO-ANN-based benchmark hybrid models and the model without an optimizer (Support Vector Machine, SVM). The parameter sensitivities of the proposed algorithm, including the maximum number of iterations, population size and contraction-expansion coefficient, were determined. The proposed hybrid model is expected to support the quantitative risk assessment (QRA), Right-of-Way (ROW) definition and the inherently safer design of the underground parallel pipelines.