Geohazard Risk Management for the Nor Andino Gas Pipeline

Author(s):  
Michael Porter ◽  
Rodolfo Reale ◽  
Gabriel Marcuz ◽  
K. Wayne Savigny

A 1,050 km long 20” pipeline was constructed to transport natural gas from northern Argentina to the coast of Chile. On the Argentine side, significant portions of the route traverse rugged mountainous terrain subject to landslides, debris flows, flash floods, and earthquakes. On the Chilean side (situated up to 5,000 m above sea level), the pipeline crosses active faults and terminates at locations historically subject to tsunami. The pipeline began operation in 1999. An outburst flood in a steep mountain stream caused the pipeline to rupture in 2001. Reactivation of a large rock slide in 2002 caused a second rupture. It appeared that the original design had underestimated the route’s exposure to geohazards, and efforts were required to improve pipeline safety and reliability. A geohazard risk management program was initiated in April 2002. Geohazards were identified and characterized through airphoto interpretation and field inspection. Sites were initially ranked using semi-quantitative risk estimates. Risk cost-benefit analyses were used to select optimal risk control measures at high ranking geohazard sites. These included monitoring programs, reconstruction of stream crossings, reroutes, and in one instance, landslide avoidance using a horizontal directional drill. Risk control measures were implemented between 2002 and 2006, and additional efforts are ongoing. An updated assessment of geohazard exposure was completed in 2005 with the objective of quantifying the level of risk reduction that had been achieved and prioritizing further risk reduction efforts. This paper describes implementation of the geohazard risk management program using a case history format. It highlights the techniques used to control the range of hazard that were identified in 2002 and to quantify the improvements achieved by 2006. The paper concludes with an overview of additional risk reduction initiatives that are in progress or under consideration.

Author(s):  
Mark Duntemann

The development of effective hazard trees assessment practices has been an important focus of urban forestry for many years. When a publicly owned tree fails and causes property damage, personal injury or death in the United States, a potential consequence for a government agency is litigation. Although managing a large public tree resource can seem daunting, simple assessment parameters can be used to identify high-risk features within the tree population. Through analysis of the interaction between high-risk elements in the tree population and definition of a long-term, managed approach to tree risk reduction, strong policies and practices can be initiated. This program emphasizes two concepts. First, implementation of a well thought out risk reduction strategy improves the overall health of the urban forest, which results in a safer urban environment. This goal is universal, regardless of national boundaries. Second, documentation and implementation of tree risk management policies forms the foundation for a government agency’s defense, if litigation ever occurred.


Author(s):  
Jose L. Martinez Gonzalez ◽  
Claudio F. Urencio Castro ◽  
Enrique Rodriguez Betancourt

PEMEX Gas (PGPB) operates a pipeline network of more than 11,000 kilometres that includes natural gas and LPG throughout Mexico and has implemented a risk management program that has been successfully used over the past two years, applying risk assessment software tools to assist its risk management stage. During the past four years PGPB has significantly reduced their pipeline incident rate and have thus lessened their costs in terms of reduced business interruption, environmental and property damages, and safety to the public and PGPB employees. On the same basis, PGPB has increased their pipeline informational databases as they relate to operations, maintenance, construction, and design for their pipeline systems. This approach provides a quantitative means to balance the cost to preserve the pipeline assets against the added value measured in terms of pipeline risk reduction measured in terms of cost of risk. Furthermore, provides information that can be use to make value-based maintenance or operating decisions to promote continued long-term safe operation in a setting that evaluates risk reduction in terms of business interruption, environmental and property damage, and public and employee safety.


Author(s):  
Mohamed ElSeify ◽  
Sylvain Cornu ◽  
Raymond Karé ◽  
Ali Fathi ◽  
John Richmond

Abstract Axial strain inspection using the AXISS™ is an established tool in the pipeline operator’s toolbox to assess pipeline geotechnical threats and other strain related events. Consequently, there is a large database of axial strain data for several different pipelines operating in different environments and from multiple inspections at the same geographical locations. The Cheecham slope, located south east of Fort McMurray, Alberta, is a known geohazard site crossed by six individual pipelines. The lines were constructed between 1999 and 2013 and have a size range of 10” to 36”. Five out of the six lines, 12” to 36”, have been inspected using the axial strain tool. The pipelines inspected cover a range of characteristics including, different vintages, pipe diameters and positions in the ROW. These differences, and the ILI runs provide an insight into the effect of a landslide event on the strain response of these pipelines. Axial strain measurement of the multiple pipelines in the Cheecham slope’s ROW allows: i) a direct comparison between lines ii) evaluation of the strain profile across the slope iii) assessment of the magnitude of the axial strain in terms of pipe characteristics e.g. pipe vintage and mechanical properties. More importantly, the axial strain data may provide an additional tool to assess the effectiveness of strain mitigation steps carried out over the years. An increase in the frequency of axial strain ILI runs resulted in additional data being available and more importantly data from run to run inspections spread over months or sometime years. A single run captures the strain at the time of inspection but run to run inspections provide an additional comparative tool to evaluate and monitor pipeline movement. Two out of the five lines inspected have run to run axial strain data. This paper takes the Cheecham slope as a case study to discuss the benefits of run comparison of ILI axial strain data either by comparing strain values of repeated runs for a single line or by the cross comparison of strain responses of different lines in the same ROW. The paper aims to demonstrate how run to run analysis of ILI axial strain data can be implemented as part of geohazard risk management program to asses strain risk profiles of these locations and to assess the effectiveness of strain mitigation programs previously undertaken by operators.


Author(s):  
Ruslan Skrynkovskyy ◽  
◽  
Oleh Kramar ◽  
Khrystyna Zamula ◽  
Vasyl Khmyz ◽  
...  

The article reveals the features of accounting and analytical support for entrepreneurial risk management. It was found that entrepreneurial risk is a certain act as a result of which the business entity may suffer losses. It is proved that entrepreneurial risks should be classified according to the specifics of origin, the specifics of the legal settlement, the specifics of industry affiliation, the specifics of the consequences, the specifics of the duration of the impact of entrepreneurial risk, the specifics of the expression of will, the specifics of the form, the specifics of the level of typicality, the specifics of the level of validity, the specifics of the possibility of assessing and resolving the impact, the specifics of the possibility of insuring entrepreneurial risks, the specifics of the occurrence of entrepreneurial risks by sources of origin, the specifics of the scale of the impact, the specifics of the level of losses and the specifics of character. It is established that the process of entrepreneurial risk management is the process of managing the activities of the business entity as a whole and its individual parts, and takes into account the management of not only existing risks but also potential entrepreneurial risks in space and time, that may occur in the future during entrepreneurial activities. It is determined that the process of entrepreneurial risk management should take into account the stage of preparation and implementation of appropriate measures to reduce the risk as a result of making erroneous decisions by business entities, the stage of reducing the impact of possible negative consequences that may occur, especially, if the entity operates in unexpected changes and alarming development trends, as well the stage of development and implementation of the Declaration on Risk Management and the Risk Management Program. It is established that the important information on which it is possible to estimate possibility of occurrence of entrepreneurial risks, is the accounting reporting. In the perspective of further research, it is recommended to study entrepreneurial risks in Ukraine in the context of such aspects as causes, consequences and management.


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