Application of Risk Based Inspection Methodology of API 581 BRD to Oil Pipelines

This study focuses on the calculation procedure of probability of failure according to the API 581 BRD RBI methodology for equipment under uniform or localized corrosion. This calculation procedure was applied to the data available from three existing oil pipelines to know a priori the influence of frequency and effectiveness of inspection activities on the probability of failure, and consequently, on the risk exposure they might be subjected along their remaining operating life. The results show that if the confidence on the damage rate and on the inspection effectiveness is known it is possible to design different alternatives to an existing inspection plan, which calls for pig inspections at every 5 years, still assuring that the probability of failure for these pipelines will be under a certain tolerable level.