Integrity Management System Based on Risk Analysis: A Tool To Prevent Failures on Pipelines Crossing Amazonian Jungles and the Andes

摘要

The hydrocarbon transmission system belonging to Transportadora de Gas del Perú (TGP) and operated by Compa?ia Operadora del Gas del Amazonas (COGA), consist of two parallel pipelines that start their route in the Amazonian jungle of Cuzco-Peru, cross the Andes arriving at 4827masl and go down to the Pacific Ocean coast. One of the pipelines, with a length of 557 km, transports Natural Gas Liquids and the other one, with a length of 729Km plus 105km of Loop in its coastal area, transports Natural Gas. As a part of the Integrity Management Program (IMP), it has been identified, Weather and Outside Forces as main threat which increases the risk of the system in environmentally sensible areas as jungle and mountains. This threat produces mainly ruptures (leak or spill of hydrocarbon). TgP’s Pipeline Integrity Management System (PIMS) uses and manages the information provided by the various techniques of inspections and monitoring of the pipeline and Right of Way (ROW), and perform accurate risk analysis. All this information is supported in a Geographic Information System (GIS), which allows viewing and analyzing spatially the data and the risk assessment, making easy to take decisions. The article discusses the various techniques and methodologies of monitoring and risk assessment (focused on geohazards), estimation of exposure to hazards, calculation of risk and reduction/mitigation techniques. The IMP based on Risk Analysis comprises the following steps: 1. Input data and test its availability/quality. 2. Quantitative Risk Assessment. 3. Customized geohazard evaluation. 4. Integrity assessments (each threat). 5. Post integrity assessment actions. 6. Specialized analyses (site-specific geotechnical investigations or reliability-based QRA studies). By means of the pipeline Integrity Management System, it has been able to mitigate risks. We have been able to act before any event becomes critical, in other words, with no occurrence of ruptures. This system allows us simultaneously to optimize efforts and preserve the mechanical integrity of the pipelines. TgP NGL pipeline′s rupture rate (number of ruptures per 1000 kilometers years) decreases substantially from 5.4 to 0.9. For the whole system that rate decreases from 2.3 to 0.36. Integrating inspections and monitoring systems as part of a PIMS based on risk assessments, it is possible to act in advance to potential critical events, mitigating and/or minimizing the occurrence of failures, optimizing efforts to preserve the integrity and minimizing personal, environmental and business impact.