26 / 32
I N N O V AT I O N S • V O L . V I I , N O. 2 • 2 0 1 5
24
First, operators use
the data to identify high
consequence areas (HCAs)
along the pipeline’s path.
The criteria for HCAs
differs between natural gas
and hazardous liquid lines
due to the severity of the
potential consequences.
HCAs for natural gas
transmission pipelines
focus solely on populated
areas – environmental and
ecological consequences are usually minimal for
releases involving natural gas. For hazardous liquid
pipelines, HCA identification focuses on populated
areas, drinking water sources, and unusually
sensitive ecological resources.
With these tasks completed, the
operator moves on to integrity
assessment. This could
involve hydrostatic
testing, inline inspection, or non-destructive
evaluation (NDE), all processes that reveal the
current condition of the pipeline system. Once
the operator knows the condition of the pipeline,
it is possible to make decisions about what should
be done – and when – to restore and maintain the
pipeline’s integrity.
From there, the operator develops its
management of change and quality control
processes. All of this information helps the
operator decide if changes to the PIMS – things
like additional training or different ways of
performing inspections – are needed to better
protect the pipeline and promote optimal
function.
The remaining processes comprise
communicating any changes the operator
implements both within the company and among
community members, and establishing some kind
of performance measurement system. The final
step usually involves setting reassessment intervals
and establishing preventive and mitigation
measures, such as reducing corrosion to achieve
zero failures.
It’s a complicated, multistep process,
and Kirkwood admits that it can be a bit
daunting for operators, but the payoffs in
terms of safety, efficiency, and financial
return are well worth the learning curve.
A Constantly
Evolving Technology
Rather than focusing on the complexities
of PIMS, it can be helpful for operators
to look at it as an ongoing process of collecting
as much relevant information as possible
about their pipelines, sharing that information
with stakeholders – such as employees and
the communities – and using it to guide their
decisions about pipeline maintenance and repairs.
“It’s all about gathering data, storing data,
and managing information within an architecture
which is easy to use, easy to access, and available
to those who need it,” Kirkwood says.
That architecture should ideally take the form
of a software system, which not only makes the
A mobile-based PIMSS program
might even allow you to ask the system
to evaluate a new data set while you’re
on the way to the office.