Significant insights into risk are routinely missed when certain risk assessment methodologies are used. This article examines some fundamental differences between QRA techniques in terms of how they catch—and potentially miss—important evidence. PIN_October_2019_Risk Management
Results for Risk Modeling
Problems With Industry Guidance Docs
Since 2011, there have been attempts to update the ASME B31.8s document with regards to threats and risk assessment. The lack of updates to this important guidance document has resulted in continuing confusion for industry practitioners and wastes of resources on non-issues such as ‘threat interaction’ (which is almost entirely caused by the B31.8S language. […]
Interview
The Outlook for Pipeline Risk Assessment A 2014* Interview with W. Kent Muhlbauer *but still relevant! PHMSA has recently expressed criticism regarding how Integrity Management Plan (IMP) risk assessment (RA) for pipelines is being conducted. Do you also see problems? There is a wide range of practice among pipeline operators right now. Some RA is […]
Analyzing Risk Estimates
As the practice of pipeline risk assessment continues to advance, we can also focus on the next steps: how do I make sense out of large sets of numbers? what is this risk assessment telling me? Here’s a recent article with some advice: PIN Article: Analyzing Risk Estimates
Pipeline Geohazard Risks
Here’s a advance draft of an article to be included in an upcoming ASME textbook. Geohaz Essay ASME wkm Rev C
Can you explain more about Geohazards and Weather-Related Outside Forces?
Geohazards and Weather-Related Outside Force The threat category ‘Outside Force’ in a risk assessment typically includes forces such as ground/earth movement, flooding, cold weather, and lightning. When buried pipelines cross sloping terrain, there is a danger that soil movement (down the slope) will impose an excessive load on the pipe that could lead to failure. […]
Risk Profiling
Pipeline Risk Assessment—Risk Profiling In earlier installments of this column, we introduced the concept of pipeline risk assessment Essential Elements (EE’s). That guideline is a list of ingredients that must be included in any pipeline risk assessment before that assessment can be considered complete. Following these guidelines helps to ensure a technically sound risk assessment […]
Decision Trees and Risk Assessment
An interesting contribution from Joel Anderson Pipeline Risk algorithms can take in hundreds of variables and perform hundreds more calculations to determine the probability of failure for a given segment of pipe. Trying to determine what threats are biggest contributor to a system’s risk or even over the length of a given line can be […]
Updating guidance documents for pipeline threat identification and risk assessment
Unfortunately, the US guidance documents for pipeline risk assessment are still not up to date. This continues to be a source of confusion for some and frustration for others. Please click this link to read the pdf file of this article.
Facilities / tanks / pumps / compressors / appurtenances / etc, General, Modeling, Risk Assessment, Risk Assessment Methodologies
Pipeline Risk Assessment
Risk assessment on any facility is most efficiently done by first dividing the facility into components with unchanging risk characteristics. For a cross-country pipeline, this involves collecting data on all portions of the pipeline and its surroundings and then using this data to ‘dynamically segment’ the pipeline into segments of varying length. Risk algorithms are […]