Pipeline Data Model Promoting Data Requirement for the Oil & Gas Pipeline Integrity Management

摘要

With strict regulations, as well as safety and environmental concerns from governments and the public, most pipeline operators are developing, implementing, and documenting a program - Pipeline Integrity Management (PIM) to enhance their pipeline's safety and reliability as well as ensure sustainable and optimized operation. PIM depends on accurate, high quality, reliable data, and easy access to that data to facilitate conducting the prescribed analysis. However, the data required for PIM come from multiple sources, and the amount of data is voluminous and is continually increasing. At the same time, most pipeline data contain geospatial information. The authors suggest pipeline companies choose a robust pipeline data model to effectively gather, organize and store the complex, huge amount of data required for PIM, while providing geospatial GIS support. A pipeline data model: 1) provides a uniform data structure, database and comprehensive data inventory for data required for PIM, 2) improves data accuracy, consistency and integrity, 3) efficiently manages pipeline data in an ordered, centralized and interrelated way, 4) continually provides high quality and reliable data for PIM analysis. Two current prevalent pipeline data models - Pipeline Open Data Standard (PODS) and Arc GIS Pipeline Data Model (APDM) are introduced in this article. In order to help pipeline companies pick the appropriate pipeline data model that best fits their needs; the differences and similarities of these two models are also described. Three typical case studies, including how OMV Group implements PODS, and uses PODS to support PIM, are provided in detail. Plenty of practices from pipeline companies have achieved positive results from using pipeline data models to support PIM. It is always advisable to choose a pipeline data model to support PIM for the purpose of data consistency, accuracy, organization, and integrity that is essential for the whole PIM process.