Number crunching

One of the greatest changes in the industry is seen in the area of federal regulations. As pipeline incidences resulted in injuries, deaths, and major ecological impacts, the United States federal government developed the integrity management program. Integrity management program as defined by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (US DOT) requires operators to:

“identify and address risks to the segments of their pipelines that could affect ‘high consequence areas’ where a leak or rupture would have the greatest impact, including highly populated or environmentally sensitive areas.” (Washington Utilities & Transportation Commission, www.wutc.wa.gov)

Meeting integrity management requirements is generally regarded as one of the most important factors affecting the pipeline industry.

Pipeline integrity management consists of a broad spectrum of information, including pipeline specification, pipeline facilities, in-line inspections, physical inspections, high consequence areas, risk management, geographic features, and more.
When evaluating an integrity management program, understanding the location of high consequence areas is important. If an incident or spill were to occur near a school or hospital, the response would be different than if it were to occur in rural farmland. An incident on a major river or at a port would require a different response than a land-locked incident. High consequences areas include three federally recognized areas: population areas, unusually sensitive areas, and commercially navigable waters. Population areas include areas of high population and other population areas. Other population areas can include industrial areas, shopping centers, universities, and other areas that are not included in high populations areas. Unusually sensitive areas include drinking water sources and ecologically sensitive areas. High consequence areas also include state and locally identified areas as wells as areas identified by field personnel.

Risk management includes the effectiveness of the pipeline SCADA system, a company’s drug testing program, the right of way patrols, the one call system in the area, and more. One-call systems are a good example of risk management. If a one-call system is in place but is ignored by the community, then it is no more effective than no system at all. SCADA systems, drug testing programs, and right of way patrols are also only effective when utilized and/or enforced. Risk management includes other risk factors like the risk of a valve or pipe being hit by an automobile due to its proximity to a road or highway.

Geographic features include foreign line, road, and railroad crossings. For example, the location of above ground power lines will directly affect AC interference along an underground pipeline, which can cause an increase in the corrosivity of the pipe, particular when pipeline coating problems occur. Another example is that road and railroad crossings can cause a variety of problems including an increased traffic load, higher potential for accidents when the pipe or facilities are above ground, and other problems.

Data relative to the pipeline is collected in every area of the integrity management program. The data must then be evaluated and analyzed in order to develop a program of mitigation that addresses potential and known risks along the pipeline. The regulations governing the pipeline integrity management program compel pipeline operators to develop new procedures and best practices to address the requirements. The regulations have led to an entirely new suite of service providers, software programs, and industry best practices.

An example of this can be found with in-line inspections. The smart pig, used for in-line inspections of pipe, was first introduced in 1965. Since that time, technological advances for smart pigs include in part the integration of gyroscopes, calipers, odometer systems, as well as the development of magnetic flux leakage tools. Technological advances beyond in-line inspection tools include everything from personal computers, data analysis tools, GIS products, larger data storage, and faster data transmittal.

With current technology, in-line inspections and other pipeline inspection methods create gigabytes of data. Service providers and operators must have the technological capabilities to receive, store, and analyze all data associated with the pipeline. As technology advances and pipeline operator capabilities increase, the federal government then requires more information and more subsequent action from the operators. The process leads to an upward spiral in the abilities of the operators, advances in technology, services provided by vendors, and the regulatory requirements.

To meet the current regulatory environment, pipeline operators and service providers collect the appropriate regulatory information. The upward spiral of requirements and technology has created both benefits and challenges. The primary benefit is that pipelines are more reliable with fewer incidents. The American Petroleum Institute (API) tracks voluntary reporting of pipeline incidences through their Petroleum Performance Tracking System (PPTS). API reports an overall decrease in incidents from 2001 to 2005, which equates to fewer deaths, injuries, and ecological impacts. All pipeline operators understand that when the fluid stays in the pipe, the companies make more money.

One of the challenges of the upward spiral of federal requirements and technology is the increase in data and the ability to use the data. As mentioned previously, data associated with the pipeline has increased from megabytes to gigabytes of data, easily growing to terabytes in the near future. Because the data is available, regulatory agencies require operators to use the information when evaluating the pipeline with respect to the integrity management program. The exponential increase of data along with regulatory requirements forces operators to have systems that can not only store the data but also view and analyze the data.

Operators and service providers must work with the high volume of pipeline data in order to meet the regulatory and business requirements. This need has led to the development standards. The primary standards organization for pipeline data is the Pipeline Open Data Standard (PODS). The PODS Association develops, promotes, and maintains standards in the storage and exchange of data in the pipeline industry. The PODS Association is governed by a Board of Directors composed of industry leaders who volunteer their time. Data modeling of the standards is managed by the Technical Committee, which is also composed of volunteer industry leaders. The Pipeline Open Data Standard provides common ground for pipeline operators, regulatory agencies, and service providers.

Pipeline operating companies regularly buy and sell assets as their needs and the market changes. Using a data standard allows the pipeline operators to more easily transfer the data associated with the pipeline from one company to another. Using a standard also allows companies to better evaluate assets before purchasing.

The Pipeline Open Data Standard gives regulatory agencies a standard with which they can request data from operators. When operators complete annual submittals and incident reporting with the information in a standard form, the regulatory agencies can more easily read the reports and integrate the data into their own data system. By using the standard, operators are assured that they are providing complete information in a recognized format, thereby meeting the regulatory requirements in a timely fashion.

The standards also allow service providers to provide broad solutions to multiple operators. When operators have their data in a proprietary format rather than a standard, service providers must provide specialized solutions to each operator. This increases the cost of each solution to both the service provider and the operators. Service providers can provide a more general solution to multiple operators who use the same standard. This lowers the cost for all the operators using the standard and increases the efficiency of the solution provided by the service provider.

The pipeline integrity management program as defined under United States federal regulations is intended to be a comprehensive, mitigative program designed to minimize and when possible prevent incidences on the pipeline. In order for pipeline operators to comply with this program, they must collect large amounts of data and maximize the use of current technology. This has led to significant improvements in technology and resources for the pipeline industry.

About the contributor

Sheila Wilson, Ph.D., is Executive Director of the PODS Association. She joined in 2006 and her primary responsibility is to meet the needs of the members by coordinating between the Board of Directors, the Technical Committee, and the members. Dr Wilson has been in the pipeline industry for approximately five years with more than ten years experience in GIS. She was a Senior GIS Analyst for the integrity management group at CITGO Petroleum and before this she worked at ONEOK. She is a member of GITA, the Geological Society of America and the Petroleum User Group.