Modeling the National Chlorinated Hydrocarbon Supply Chain and Effects of Disruption

Chlorinated hydrocarbons represent the precursors for products ranging from PVC and refrigerants to pharmaceuticals. Natural or manmade disruptions that affect the availability of these products nationally have the potential to affect a wide range of markets, from healthcare to construction. Sandia National Laboratories (Sandia) has developed datasets and models that allow the analysis of the interdependencies within the chlorine chemical supply chain and consequences of disruptions. Combining data on plant locations, transportation, utilities, and the chemical supply chain itself, with modeling tools such as N-ABLE™, a Sandia-developed agent based modeling system, allows Sandia to model this complex system dynamically. Sandia has used the N-ABLE™ technology to simulate a disruption to the chlorinated hydrocarbon supply chain caused by a hurricane striking the Louisiana coast. This paper presents results and conclusions from this analysis.