Felix B Chembe earned his MSc in Non-Destructive Testing of Materials from Brunel University of West London. In addition to this he has practiced non-destructive testing (NDT) at various practitioner levels including PCN II and ASNT III throughout his NDT that has spanned more than 30 years. He started his career in NDT with the copper mining industry in Zambia in 1979. In 1994 Felix joined the CSIR in Pretoria South Africa as a NDT researcher where he went on to lead research and development teams at various capacities. From 2004 to 2005 he was President of the South African Institute for NDT (SAINT) during which time South Africa was awarded the hosting of the 18th WCNDT. In September 2007 he formed Ultraspec-NDT Pty Ltd after 11 years with the CSIR in Pretoria and a brief stint with Raysonics Pty Ltd. Currently Felix is involved with implementing in-line inspection of pipelines in southern Africa using high resolution intelligent pigs and is closely associated with the Rosen Group.

Abstract

Pipeline Integrity Management System: Supporting Daily Decision Making Activities Regarding Risk Assessment & Feature Prioritization

Environmental variables play a significant role in many of the key processes of pipeline integrity management. From the determination of safety factors based on location classes, the guidance on immediate defect repair prioritizations to the input on the consequence assessment in a risk-based mitigation program.

Pipeline integrity management is a complex process involving people, assets, procedures, data gathering, analysis and commercial consideration in terms of production, operations and maintenance costs. The primary objective of an integrity program is ensure provisions are in place and effectively implemented to maintain the pipeline in a fitness-for-purpose condition and in a safe and cost-effective manner. Good industry standards are nowadays available to support logical and consistent approaches to many of the key processes of pipeline integrity management (PIM). Available standards range from supervisory processes such as ASME B31.8S, AS 2885, DOT CFR 49 192 to specialized codes for defect assessment such as ASME B31G and RSTRENG.

However today, vast amounts of information are generated and needs to be integrated during the integrity management process and software tools become a necessity to aid the engineer in its practical implementation. This includes essential elements such as effective data management, appropriate assessment tools, documentation of the integrity assessments conducted, an auditable record of the overall integrity management process, and incorporated rights management.

At the same time an intelligent inline inspection run, equipped with a XYZ mapping tool, provides valuable input in the various assessment methodologies and the automated integration of the accurate pipeline centerline with its physical properties into a centralized Pipeline Integrity Management Software, allowing a cost-effective and time-saving enhancement on accuracy and reliability in these assessments results.

This paper presents a case study within Europe where a PIM system was customized to the individual needs of a pipeline operator. It reviews the underlying principles of customization and examines how codified processes, rules and standards can be used during customization to ensure conformity with industry best practices. Moreover, the paper examines the nature, roles and interactions of the three main components of pipeline integrity management (PIM) - people, processes and technology - with the aim of improving the delivered value of the PIM program. Furthermore it describes a software-aided process of this automated geographical pipeline centerline creation as the basis for a High Consequence Area analysis and how it is finally utilized to provide the necessary input on immediate defect criticality prioritization and a risk-based mitigation strategy.