Alliance Pipeline, (Alliance), an integrated Canadian and U.S. high-pressure rich natural gas transmission pipeline system, conducts Engineering Assessments for a variety of reasons related to integrity activities such as investigative digs, right-of-way crossings, encroachments and program review; however, the need for a consistent and systematic approach to perform work of this nature was identified. As such, the company launched an initiative to develop a structured approach for undertaking, reviewing and approving Engineering Assessments.
The specific challenge in developing a framework for conducting Engineering Assessments is twofold: the framework must be scalable, to address a broad range of situations, while remaining practical to use and understand. In light of these requirements, Alliance chose to adopt a “Tiered” approach to identifying requirements associated with each engineering assessment. The Tier of the Engineering Assessment is defined based on two primary factors: the complexity of the analysis (i.e., whether the methodology of the analysis is well established or not) and the nature of the underlying assumptions (i.e., whether the assumptions associated with the analysis are within established parameters). Once the appropriate Tier has been selected, the framework then provides guidance regarding the specific requirements in the areas of: responsibilities and qualifications of individuals for preparation, review and approval of the assessment as well as documentation.
The implementation and use of the structured approach was intended to ensure the Engineering Assessments undertaken within pipeline integrity were technically sound, while recognizing that a broad range of technical complexity, skill level and decision making are associated with Engineering Assessment. Overall, this approach will allow Alliance to achieve a degree of uniformity of its Engineering Assessments in order to manage risks effectively, while addressing the needs of a broad range of scenarios that rely on the methodology.
