Pipelines are an essential component of our nation”s energy supply. They remain largely unnoticed until disaster strikes.
Some recent pipeline liquid and gas accidents include the following incidents:
Reedy River, SC – Liquid – Operator Training
Lively, TX – Liquid – External Corrosion
Bellingham, WA – Liquid – Mechanical Damage
Edison, NJ – Gas – Mechanical Damage
Carlsbad, NM – Gas – Internal Corrosion
In 1999 government officials and the public demanded something that would prevent accidents from occuring. This was the driving force behind the creation of the modern Integrity Management program under the DOT”s Office of Pipeline Safety. The goal of this program was to improve pipeline system safety. According to the Gas Piping Technology Committee (GPTC) Technical Report, “Integrity Management is a process for identifying, assessing, evaluating and mitigating threats to the integrity of a pipeline system. It is a dynamic and cyclical process”.
The American Petroleum Institute (API) took the lead in development of an integrity consensus standard for pipelines. This standard is applicable to pipeline systems used to transport hazardous liquids as defined in Title 49 CFR 195.2. The use of this standard is not limited to pipelines regulated under Title 49 CFR 195.1 and the principles embodied in integrity management are applicable to all pipeline systems.
Integrity management helps operators comprehensively evaluate an entire range of threats to pipeline by integrating and analyzing available information about their pipelines. It provides a road map for the assessment, integration and analysis of the data, and courses of action available in maintaining pipeline integrity.
Each pipeline operator is obligated to create an Integrity Management program under these guidelines. The operator should then use their created plan to monitor, maintain and report on their assets.
After reading this article you should have a general idea of what a pipeline Integrity Management program is.
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