Pipeline Reliability Evaluation and Design Using the Sustainable Capacity Methodology

A reliability evaluation methodology, referred to as Sustainable Capacity, has been developed to quantify reliability expectations and provide a basis for the explicit consideration of reliability in pipeline design. The methodology, which has been adapted from one widely used in the electric power industry, is based on the representation of the load and capacity processes, which define reliability, with Markov models. These models generate time-series of simultaneous load and capacity profiles which are evaluated to determine reliability expectations. A cost-benefit methodology which recognizes the variation in the value attributed to pipeline reliability by individual customers is then used to assess the economic efficiency of any proposed facility addition. Further to its application as a design tool, the Sustainable Capacity methodology can also provide support in other areas such as operations and maintenance planning.