Special Problems in Pipeline Risk Assessment

The paper presents case studies of pipeline risk assessments for special situations such as multiple pipelines in a common trench, pipelines adjacent to other hazardous facilities, and segments of special construction such as major water crossings. For such situations, the relatively straightforward risk assessment applicable to single pipelines in normal conditions is not applicable. Rather, one must generate a special analytical approach case by case to deal with those aspects of the risk assessment which vary from those of the normal situation. In this paper, following a brief introduction, a series of case studies for special problems in pipeline risk assessment based on real projects completed by the authors, is given, followed by conclusions and recommendations.