A NEW TREND FOR PIPELINE INTEGRITY MANAGEMENT: GIS AND RISK-BASED ASSET MANAGEMENT INTEGRATION

摘要

Pipeline integrity is critical to ensure maintenance and operational efficiency; however it is becoming an increasingly challenging task for the energy industry. Maintenance managers and inspectors must make sure their pipeline(s) and its associated equipment meet strict integrity requirements and comply with regulations in order to avoid unnecessary downtime and mitigate safety and environmental risks. They must do this while working with increasingly tight budgets. Any breach of integrity, such as loss of containment, could result in major consequences for a company, including costs from lawsuits and environmental violations, safety hazards, toxic risks for local communities, loss of revenue, damage to the relationship with their client, and a complete shutdown of the pipeline altogether.