Risk Management Strategies for Pipeline Spill Prevention and Response

Abstract

Strategies developed to prevent and manage oil spills from pipelines based on the fundamental concepts of risk management are described. Utilizing risk concepts (risk is the product of frequency of an event and its consequences), the usual activities of pipeline operations, maintenance and inspection can be prioritized to minimize costs. Similarly, these concepts, when applied to spill management and response, can provide focus to preventative and response plans by the identification of the high-risk areas or zones. Once the hazards to pipeline integrity are identified, historical data are used as the first step in populating event trees that are used to describe the sequence of events leading to an event or spill. The identification of potential consequences related to pipeline spills involves trajectory analysis, baseline and sensitivity analysis, and the quantification of environmental and infrastructure impact. The tools described have application to existing lines and the design and construction phases of new lines.