Reliability engineering application to pipeline design

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the application of reliability engineering to oil and gas (O&G) pipeline systems with the aim of identifying means through which reliability engineering can be used to improve pipeline integrity, specifically with regard to man-made incidents (e.g. material/weld/equipment failure, corrosion, incorrect operation and excavation damages). Design/methodology/approach: A literature review was carried out on the application of reliability tools to O&G pipeline systems and four case studies are presented as examples of how reliability engineering can help to improve pipeline integrity. The scope of the paper is narrowed to four stages of the pipeline life cycle; the decommissioning stage is not part of this research. A survey was also carried out using a questionnaire to check the level of application of reliability tools in the O&G industry. Findings: Data from survey and literature show that a reliability-centred approach can be applied and will improve pipeline reliability where applied; however, there are several hindrances to the effective application of reliability tools, the current methods are time based and focus mainly on design against failure rather than design for reliability. Research limitations/implications: The tools identified do not cover the decommissioning of the pipeline system. Research validation sample size can be broadened to include more pipeline stakeholders/professionals. Pipeline integrity management systems are proprietary information and permission is required from stakeholders to do a detailed practical study. Originality/value: This paper proposes the minimum applied reliability tools for application during the design, operation and maintenance phases targeted at the O&G industry. Critically, this paper provides a case for an integrated approach to applying reliability and maintenance tools that are required to reduce pipeline failure incidents in the O&G industry

Analysis of dynamic processes during the accidents in a district heating system

Paper presented at the 9th International Conference on Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics, Malta, 16-18 July, 2012.The accidents in the District Heating System are inevitable and they occur due to various reasons. Therefore it is necessary to perform the analysis of possible accident in piping system and to evaluate the consequences. After performing such analysis, it is possible to take the necessary measures to ensure safer and more reliable heat supply, so that the consequences of accidents are less severe. This paper demonstrated the capabilities of developed (using RELAP5 code) district heating network model for the analysis of dynamic processes. Three hypothetical accident scenarios in Kaunas city heating network are presented: (1) blackout in the Kaunas central part pump station; (2) break of heat supply pipe to northwestern district of Kaunas city; (3) rapid pump trip in one of Kaunas city pump stations. The discussion regarding dynamic processes (water hammer effect) in pipelines during the accidents is presented. The results of analysis demonstrated that the pressure pulsations as the accident consequences do not lead to the additional failures in pipelines in district heating system.dc201

Systems Engineering: Availability and Reliability

Current trends in Industry 4.0 are largely related to issues of reliability and availability. As a result of these trends and the complexity of engineering systems, research and development in this area needs to focus on new solutions in the integration of intelligent machines or systems, with an emphasis on changes in production processes aimed at increasing production efficiency or equipment reliability. The emergence of innovative technologies and new business models based on innovation, cooperation networks, and the enhancement of endogenous resources is assumed to be a strong contribution to the development of competitive economies all around the world. Innovation and engineering, focused on sustainability, reliability, and availability of resources, have a key role in this context. The scope of this Special Issue is closely associated to that of the ICIE’2020 conference. This conference and journal’s Special Issue is to present current innovations and engineering achievements of top world scientists and industrial practitioners in the thematic areas related to reliability and risk assessment, innovations in maintenance strategies, production process scheduling, management and maintenance or systems analysis, simulation, design and modelling

A practical approach for reliability prediction of pipeline systems

Pipelines play an important role in the modern society. Failures of pipelines can have great impacts on\ud economy, environment and community. Preventive maintenance (PM) is often conducted to improve\ud the reliability of pipelines. Modern asset management practice requires accurate predictability of the reliability\ud of pipelines with multiple PM actions, especially when these PM actions involve imperfect repairs.\ud To address this issue, a split system approach (SSA) based model is developed in this paper through an\ud industrial case study. This new model enables maintenance personnel to predict the reliability of pipelines\ud with different PM strategies and hence effectively assists them in making optimal PM decisions

A practical approach for reliability prediction of pipeline systems

Pipelines play an important role in the modern society. Failures of pipelines can have great impacts on economy, environment and community. Preventive maintenance (PM) is often conducted to improve the reliability of pipelines. Modern asset management practice requires accurate predictability of the reliability of pipelines with multiple PM actions, especially when these PM actions involve imperfect repairs. To address this issue, a split system approach (SSA) based model is developed in this paper through an industrial case study. This new model enables maintenance personnel to predict the reliability of pipelines with different PM strategies and hence effectively assists them in making optimal PM decisions.Pipelines Reliability Maintenance decision support Applied probability Repairable systems