Oil and gas pipeline distribution networks: a new approach to access their vulnerability and risk

The main objective of this research work is to introduce the emerging theory of vulnerability of water pipe networks and, in particular, its theoretical concepts, extrapolating them to the oil and gas pipeline distribution network fields. This expansion is almost direct and could give an important contribution for the design of new network systems, as well as for the assessment, rehabilitation and management of the existing networks and systems. The fundamental contributions of this theory are to design network pipelines more robust but also to give guidance to the technical community in order to achieve a more efficient management of this type of systems. Some highlights on risk assessment and failure scenarios of this type of systems are also given in this paper

Sistemas de abastecimento de água: avaliação da vulnerabilidade

O objectivo deste trabalho de investigação é apresentar a Teoria da Vulnerabilidade de Redes Hidráulicas de Abastecimento de Água (TVRHAA) e, em particular, os seus principais fundamentos teóricos. Esta teoria preconiza que quanto maior for a qualidade de forma de uma rede menor será a sua vulnerabilidade. O conceito de vulnerabilidade é aqui traduzido pela desproporcionalidade existente entre um esforço e o dano resultante numa rede hidráulica de abastecimento de água (RHAA). A aplicação desta teoria permite identificar as partes mais vulneráveis de uma RHAA através de diversos cenários de dano vulneráveis nomeadamente o cenário de dano de colapso total, o cenário de dano de máxima vulnerabilidade, o cenário de dano de mínima vulnerabilidade, o cenário de menor esforço para haver dano e qualquer cenário de dano de interesse específico para o utilizador. Esta teoria poderá ser aplicada como suporte ao projecto de RHAA, pretendendo-se desta forma obter RHAA mais robustas, reforçando ou redimensionando as zonas da RHAA estruturalmente ou hidraulicamente mais vulneráveis. Por outro lado, entende-se que esta ferramenta também poderá apoiar na gestão destes sistemas tornando-os mais seguros e eficientes

Project management success in health: the need of additional research in public health projects

PROJMAN 2014 - International Conference on Project MANagement, Procedia TechnologyThe research about the factors that are linked to project management performance and project management success, has been developed for several years, so the literature about this subject is relatively extensive. After a literature review about project success factors, it was found that the current research effort is mainly focused on information technology, engineering and software development projects, not yet on public health projects. Public health projects have a different focus, are concerned on providing conditions in which people can be healthy, and are essential for populations’ welfare. Their distinctive attributes justify the need of research towards the development of a specific model of success factors, to support top management and project managers in planning and operational management. A model of success factors would help in the identification, control and minimization of issues that increase the likelihood of going in the wrong direction and strengthen those that create value or increase the probability of going successfully. It would also be useful as a tool for prediction and diagnosis in evaluating objectively and gradually minimize the probability of project failure, and thus assist in improving the project performance. This article presents a brief literature review on project management success and points out the need of additional research for public health projects in this area

Risco de cenários de dano vulneráveis de redes de abastecimento de água

Neste trabalho propõe-se uma metodologia integrada para a quantifi cação do risco associado a cenários de dano de redes de abastecimento de água, baseada na teoria da vulnerabilidade, com quantifi cação das consequências associadas às perdas da rede, para cada cenário identifi cado. A identifi cação das vulnerabilidades e dos riscos inerentes a este tipo de sistemas poderão contribuir para os tornar mais robustos, melhorando a qualidade do seu funcionamento, e diminuindo o potencial impacto de um cenário de dano nos utilizadores.Riesgo de escenarios de daño vulnerables de redes de distribución de agua – En este trabajo se propone una metodología integrada para la cuantificación del riesgo asociado a escenarios de daño de redes de distribución de agua, basada en la teoría de vulnerabilidad, con cuantificación de las consecuencias asociadas a la perdida de la red, para cada escenario identificado. La identificación de vulnerabilidades e de riesgos asociados a este tipo de sistemas podrá contribuir para tornarlos más robustos, disminuyendo el potencial impacto de cada escenario de daño.Risque de scénarios vulnérables de systèmes de fourniture de l’eau – Dans ce travail est présenté une méthodologie intégrée visant mesurer le risque associé à scénarios de dommage de réseaux d’approvisionnement de l’eau. Cette méthodologie est basée sur la théorie de la vulnérabilité et permit de quantifier les conséquences associées aux pertes du réseau, pour chaque scénario identifié. L’identification des vulnérabilités de systèmes pourra contribuer pour qu’ils deviennent plus robuste et diminuer l’impact chez les utilisateurs en cas de dommage.Risk of damage scenarios in vulnerable water supply networks – This work proposes an integrated methodology for the quantification of the risk associated to damage scenarios in water supply networks, based on the theory of vulnerability, with the quantification of the consequences associated to the loss of the network, for each identified scenario. The identification of the vulnerabilities can contribute to make them more robust as well as to reduce the potential impact of a damage scenario for the system’s users

Increasing the quality of water pipe network systems by tracing the vulnerability

The main objective of this paper is to introduce an emerging theory of vulnerability of water pipe networks and, in particular, its theoretical concepts. It is based on the form of a network and follows a systems approach. The application of the theory is presented using an example of a simple water pipe network. The fundamental contribution of this theory is to enable the design of water pipes networks that are more robust. It can also be used to achieve a more efficient management of water supply systems

Simulation in Information Systems: Potential of the vulnerability theory

Systems simulation has been widely used in the last decades in order to analyze the impact of different scenarios in several areas, and its application to information systems in no exception. Analyzing information systems through simulation models is simultaneously much more affordable; it is required a smaller amount of resources and it is less disruptive with the real system. Since information systems are becoming a cornerstone for our society, a failure in these systems can have a huge impact. The theory of vulnerability identifies failures in which small damage can have disproportionate impact consequences in terms of the functionality of the whole system. This paper discusses the use of the theory of vulnerability in information system simulation

Methodology to evaluate the risk of a vulnerable failure scenario in a water pipe network

The emerging theory of vulnerability of water pipe networks intends to give an important contribution for the design of this important component of water supply systems, as well as, for the assessment, rehabilitation and management of the existing ones. The fundamental contribution of this theory is to design water pipe networks more robust since it is able to identify the most vulnerable parts of them. The concept of vulnerability is associated with the disproportionateness of the failure consequences in relation to the initial damage. It is not a theory of robustness. The main objective of this research work is to explain how the risk of a vulnerable failure scenario of a water pipe network may be accessed and how the theory of vulnerability can be relevant

Success evaluation factors in construction project management : some evidence from medium and large portuguese companies

The construction industry plays a very important role in the Portuguese economy. In 2009, it was among the top five economic sectors, representing 13% of total employment. Nevertheless, project failures are still frequent mainly due to inadequate management practices and to the intrinsic characteristics of projects of the construction industry. Even though Portuguese construction has improved in recent years, cost and schedule overruns, low productivity and final product quality problems are still common. In this context, project management is a crucial tool for improving construction operations and for the overall success of projects. The aim of this article is to contribute to the discussion on success evaluation factors in a field where little has been written – the construction industry. Through a survey of 40 medium and large Portuguese companies several factors were identified which are currently considered in the evaluation of project success, as found in the literature review. The results show that the traditional factors, often referred to as the “Atkinson elements triangle” (cost, time and quality), are still the most relevant for evaluating the success of a project, but others, such as customer involvement and acceptance, have gained importance in recent years

Academics perception towards various water reuse options: University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro - UTAD Campus (Portugal) as a case study

Any strategy of water reuse has to achieve social acceptance to be successful. This paper presents the results of a multiple choice survey that attempted to establish the general attitude toward water reuse by asking academics in UTAD (Portugal) a wide range of questions. The survey included 20 reuse options, which were clustered into three reuse categories, specifically: low, medium and high contact levels. Correlation analysis between the level of support of low, medium and high contact options and demographic characteristics, personal and environmental beliefs was performed. Results show that a high proportion of the participants supported low and medium contact reuse options. Correlation was found to exist between the income classes and to the level of support of medium and high reuse options and between education level and the support for high contact reuse options. The responses to the survey suggested that some beliefs influence the level of support