AM-96-15 MANAGING UNDERGROUND PIPING RISKS

Description:

Refiners and petrochemical producers are faced with a number of issues related to aging infrastructure in their processing facilities. The condition of underground and hard to access piping systems is increasingly becoming one of the most significant issues. Because of age and demanding service requirements, many of these systems have reached a point where they may not be able to reliably provide the function for which they were designed. This paper will focus on a risk assessment program designed to systematically and proactively catalog and assess underground piping risk. As a preventative and predictive tool for use in piping maintenance programs, it can aid in avoiding costly failures such as cave-ins, leakage, groundwater contamination, or collapse. The risk assessment program will be described. The program deliverables are designed to allow management to make more informed decisions on pipe problems presenting the greatest risk to the personnel safety, environmental compliance and financial well being of their facilities.