According to the PHMSA final rule, an increasing number of gathering lines have design and operating parameters that are harmful to natural gas transmission lines, which now pose an increased risk to public safety and the environment.

The new PHMSA pipeline regulations designate coastal regions and the Great Lakes as High Consequence Areas (HCAs), requiring pipeline operators to upgrade their Reliability and Mechanical Integrity (MI) procedures to include any pipeline that may damage these sensitive ecosystems.

In this blog, we examine the purpose of the regulations and solutions to meet compliance to allow the operator to reduce the risk of its assets and also help ensure its program complies with PHMSA pipeline regulations.

Purpose of PHMSA Pipeline Regulations

This final rule aims to enhance pipeline safety by boosting pipeline integrity, reducing the risk of failure, and improving emergency response in the event of an incident. Furthermore, the PHMSA wants to enact this regulation to increase public safety, reduce physical risks, and promote environmental justice for minority groups, low-income groups, and other neglected and disadvantaged communities.

Pipeline operators must provide safety information for all gas collection lines for the first time, including incident reports and a detailed yearly report with standard oil and gas software in USA.
Until 2005, U.S. gas production demands had virtually plateaued since the 1970s. Still, demand started to surge due to new drilling methods and other factors—the increased volume of gas that firms could now extract increased the need for transportation. As a result, lines are now larger in diameter and run at higher pressure, often equivalent to interstate gas transmission lines.

Over the last 14 years, an increasing number of incidents on these high-pressure, unregulated lines have occurred, resulting in injuries, fatalities, and significant volumes of greenhouse gas (methane) emissions.

Solutions to Meet Compliance with the PHMSA Pipeline Regulations

Though only a few months away, facilities can begin to making minute foundational changes that will help them with compliance and a strong reliability program.

Operators currently have little regulation around this pipe class. To meet full compliance and improve operation reliability, they must start with data collection and organization. This step will allow the operator to reduce the risk of its assets and help ensure its program complies with the PHMSA pipeline regulations. The following are reliable solutions that will help operators meet compliance:

• Organization of Data

Organization of data is conducted to collect and verify relevant MI data used for corrosion modeling, minimum thickness, and risk assessment analysis so the facility can make informed decisions based on accurate data.

• Collection of Data

This solution assists facilities in avoiding excessive expenses while also validating the scope for compliance. Furthermore, field verifications give accurate MI data for risk evaluations, corrosion modeling, and minimum thickness analyses.

Conclusion

Data collection and organization are just the beginning of a solid reliability program. Having the right data fuel intelligence solutions will help you make strategic, confident decisions and is crucial to using any oil and gas software the right way.