Pipeline Reliability Assessment Workshop

Overview

The transportation of gases and liquids by pipeline entails risk. The primary risk arises from the probability of an  accidental release which can be violent and destructive because the contents of a pipeline are usually pressurized and often flammable and/or toxic. If a pipeline is well designed, built with care using good quality materials, properly tested and inspected, operated within its intended parameters, and it is adequately monitored, maintained and protected the risk of a release is acceptably small. To assure that the risk is minimized, the industry voluntarily creates, maintains and follows standards, specifications, and recommended practices aimed at preventing accidents and outages. In many countries governments also regulate pipeline safety by law. Except for the effects of wars, acts of God, sabotage, gross human errors or natural disasters, pipelines that are built and operated in accord with the standards and regulations do not fail unless some kind of defect exists or is created.One may think of pipeline safety, then, as a matter of preventing or eliminating defects or neutralizing or counteracting defects which cannot be prevented or eliminated. This session is intended to provide training for pipeline personnel who must deal with pipeline safety. The material presented provides an introduction to the basic concepts of the effects of defects on pipelines and of the methods for preventing, eliminating or neutralizing them.

Presenters

The session is given by Mr. Greg Morris and Mr. Harvey Haines. Mr. Morris is a Senior Metallurgical Engineer at Kiefner and Associates, Inc. His nearly 20-year career in the pipeline industry has involved development of customized risk-assessment models for operators, failure analyses, fracture control plans, material specifications, and welding procedures. Mr. Morris has served on committees for PRCI and API. Mr. Haines is a Senior Pipeline Specialist at Kiefner and Associates, Inc. and manages pipeline integrity projects. His 25-year career in the oil and gas industry includes the development and use of NDE techniques for pipelines and oil and gas wells. One of his current topics of interest is understanding ILI measurement error and how it affects corrosion assessment using B31G and RSTRENG.

Logistics

The workshop is presented periodically for pipeline operator personnel who face pipeline reliability issues on a daily basis. The workshop is held on two consecutive days with an 8-hour time span on each day (allowing for two breaks and lunch). Each participant is provided with a course notebook containing copies of the slides and viewgraphs, and 1.4 CEUs are given for attending the workshop (certificate provided).

Cost