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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Methods for prioritizing pipeline maintenance and rehabilitation

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6002555

This report describes the use of risk assessment as a means of prioritizing segments of pipeline systems for maintenance or revalidation. The project which resulted in this report consisted of the following tasks. Review of Risk-Assessment Methods; Identification of Risk Parameters and Assessment of Their Significance; Identification of the Factors Affecting the Consequences of Accidents and Their Impact; Development of a Risk-Assessment Algorithm; Conduct a Hypothetical Calculation; and Critical Assessment of Risk Analysis as a Means of Utilizing Pipeline Monitoring Tools and Rehabilitation Techniques. With the resulting algorithm or parts thereof, a pipeline operator can prioritize segments of a pipeline system of maintenance on a rational, defensible basis. The algorithm or parts thereof can be used to rank segments in order of apparent urgency for hydrostatic retesting, in-line inspection, close-interval surveys, or rehabilitation. The ranking permits an operator to use limited maintenance funds for those segments with the greatest need first.

Research Organization:
Battelle, Columbus, OH (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
AGA; American Gas Association, Inc., Arlington, VA (United States)
OSTI ID:
6002555
Report Number(s):
PR-3-919
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English