Pipeline protection: a risk management approach

O&G MENA talks to Paul Oleksa of Oleksa and Associates, Inc. and GE Inspection Technologies’ Jim Costain about how their companies are helping both NOCs and multinationals improve the state of the region’s pipeline infrastructure.

Paul Oleksa, founder and President of Oleksa and Associates, Inc. has a BS in Chemical Engineering and an MBA, is a certified Quality Engineer, and has over 40 years of experience. Mr Oleksa provides international pipeline safety consulting including audits and expert witness services. He has developed the PRO-cedures method of writing procedures.

Jim Costain joined GE Inspection Technologies three years ago as the Global Account Manager for the Oil and Gas segment. Jim has 20 years of experience in NDT especially related to the oil and gas industry, and has previously worked for some of the major global NDT service and product suppliers including SGS in the Netherlands, AEA Technology in the UK and R/D Tech in Quebec City, Canada.

O&G. A modern and efficient oil and gas infrastructure will be critical in meeting rising demand for product. What are the knock-on effects for the industry of an aging pipeline infrastructure?
JC. Apart from the economic effects caused by a pipeline failure in terms of transporting product from A to B, the environmental impact is becoming as important if not more important. The recent examples of product loss in North America has led to the temporary closure of pipelines which perhaps would not have happened in the past due to environmental concerns. This obviously had a large impact on the supply of product, the share price of the asset owner and a negative impact on the industry as a whole.

PO. Many factors operating simultaneously affect the operation and maintenance needs of an aging piping system. Aging infrastructure is expected to provide the same level of service as newly-constructed facilities. However, older pipelines require more time and attention to maintenance activities. Often the additional maintenance requires technologies that are not applicable to today’s facilities. Knowledge transfer to newer, younger personnel is essential.

This knowledge transfer used to take place as more senior personnel mentored the younger. Often this cannot be done now, so it becomes increasingly important to capture their knowledge base in words and written procedures. Personnel who are expert at performing a given task are usually not able to verbalise well the procedure that they use. Verbalisation requires a different skill set. A key resource, then, and one that is sometimes overlooked, is to have professional input for procedures. Good procedures are the result of close collaboration between the subject matter experts and a writer with professional skills.

Even aging pipelines have excellent safety records. Problems are rare. Because of this, personnel may have little or no experience handling them. The ability find that information quickly, when it is needed, requires well-designed and well-written procedures.

O&G. What traditionally have been the limitations and challenges in effectively inspecting and measuring pipeline points of concern? Are there any issues specific to the Middle East region?
PO. There are a multitude of limitations in effectively inspecting and measuring pipeline points of concern, and each limitation brings with it as many opportunities as there are imaginations to face them. There are challenges involving technology, economics and a host of practical considerations such as the need to expose the pipeline, scheduling, permitting and environmental concerns.

One of the biggest challenges is management of information. How do you know what the points of concern are? How do you know how to measure them, once they are identified? Before a pipeline point of concern is inspected and measured, it must be identified. Threats must be recognised. Data must be assimilated and integrated. Since much of this information management is a back office function, there may be little attention provided to capturing the process in words. In order to improve knowledge transfer to new staff, it is essential to have these procedures in place. The procedures must be sufficiently detailed so that a new staff person with reasonable experience and skills would be able to complete the required process.

JC. Traditionally, for non-piggable pipelines, UT point thickness readings have been the NDT method of choice. Over the years however, this methodology has been found to have a number of deficiencies, which includes data reliability, repeatability, accuracy and safety of the operators. The harsh environment in the Middle East especially in remote areas is a particular issue in the Middle East where NDT operator safety is a prime concern. Today, new technology where remote monitoring is possible is becoming of increasing interest to Middle Eastern pipeline asset owners.

O&G. How are new technology and techniques providing the opportunity for more efficient detection and risk-management activities to ensure the integrity of pipelines?
JC. New technology is enabling remote monitoring of critical areas of pipelines, which could be in remote areas and inaccessible areas both on and offshore. Reliable, accurate and repeatable data on-demand can be hugely beneficial to corrosion engineers and process engineers as both an early warning to prevent catastrophic failure and as a trending tool to help optimise other preventative technologies such as process chemical solutions. Linked to existing or new asset management software tools inspection date from permanently installed transducers can play an important part to the overall risk management strategy.

PO. There have been huge strides in equipment and techniques for more efficient detection and risk-management activities to help ensure the integrity of pipelines. There is a need, however, for more-advanced information management, including the way it is presented, retrieved and maintained.

The biggest change in the way information is presented and retrieved involves the use of an electronic format, although at this point, both electronic and hard copy presentation are important. A field crew may have a small excerpt in hard copy, yet have access to the entire manual in electronic form. This can greatly increase the efficiency of the crews.

Good, clear organisation of material, extensive cross-referencing to related regulations and related procedures, and clear graphs, charts, tables and pictures are important. Material must cover both regulatory requirements and all applicable company concerns. It must be clear and difficult to misunderstand. It must be written so as to minimise liability. Retrieval is improved by use of well-designed tables of contents, greatly expanded indexes, extensive use of hyperlinks and electronic word search capability. Finally, maintenance of complex manuals is critical. This requires a periodic formal review process. Use of hyperlinks is extremely helpful.

O&G. What influence have increasing regulatory, public and environmental pressures had on the way pipelines are managed? Why is this an increasing concern for operators?
JC. Pipeline operators have a responsibility to their shareholders, customers and the general populous to ensure safe operation, not just for human life but also to protect the environment. Operators are faced with tougher regulations, public and environmental pressures, which if not addressed can seriously affect production and damage public relations, which often translates to a reduction in profitability and market confidence.

PO. It is common knowledge that companies today are under much greater scrutiny than they were before, but it is helpful to analyze this scrutiny a bit closer. There are, in actuality, three types of external scrutiny that a company must protect itself against. The three are interrelated, but must be addressed independently.

The first, and most obvious, is governmental scrutiny. Companies can learn to benefit from this scrutiny. Governmental attention can help companies to identify areas with perceived problems, and act upon them. If a mutually cooperative atmosphere can be maintained, a company can often receive valuable information from the governmental officials.

The second is public scrutiny. This is important because it affects many other things, including the public’s perception of safety, acceptability of the company’s product, and ease in obtaining permits for new facilities. If public scrutiny results in a poor impression of the company, that impression will eventually lead to increased governmental scrutiny.

Legal scrutiny is often the most difficult to address. Procedures are sometimes written without regard to potential legal scrutiny. Procedures must be written with consideration given to both what is said and how it is said.

O&G. What recommendations would you make to Middle Eastern companies looking to improve their pipeline integrity management programs, and where does your company fit into the picture?
PO. In today’s environment, procedures are more and more essential, and the way they are written is critical. To address this key issue, Oleksa and Associates, Inc. has developed PRO-cedures, a method of writing procedures that incorporates the best lessons learned from over 40 years of pipeline industry experience. The PRO-cedures method addresses both what is said and how it is said.

In determining what is said, close collaboration is required between subject matter experts within the company and the writers so that the written material represents exactly what the company intends. Care should be used to include transfer of knowledge issues that may otherwise become lost.

The ability to retrieve information quickly is emphasised in PRO-cedures. The typical table of contents is replaced by a control panel with immediate links throughout the manual. Word search capability is built in. An extensive index is used, and each entry is linked directly the related text.

In short, Oleksa and Associates, Inc. is in a position to help companies meet their pipeline integrity needs by providing procedures that are well written and effective. This kind of procedure can make the other components of the integrity management programme easier to accomplish.

JC. From the perspective of GE Inspection Technologies, we have developed and are in the process of developing a suite of solutions to help pipeline operators manage their assets in a smarter way. The current Rightrax solution is a well-proven technology for monitoring pipelines, risers and flow lines. The current development path includes provision for wireless technology, subsea and high temperature solutions to cover a wider range of applications. GE’s other businesses also offer many other pipeline related asset management products including GE Sensing, GE Oil and Gas and GE Digital Energy as examples. As an example, GE Inspection Technologies has recently signed a Memoradum of Understanding with Saudi Aramco, which concerned specifically with inspection technology development and providing solutions to their oil and gas infrastructure.