The Pipeline Integrity Management System (PIMS) of Transportadora de Gas del Peru (TgP) has identified the Weather and Outside Forces such as main threat which increases the risk of the integrity of its pipelines in jungle and mountains areas. In pipelines with particular characteristics such as pipeline which crosses the Andes and the Amazonian jungle, this threat can cause even a greater number of failures than other threats such as Corrosion or Third Party Damage (TPD).
Given this situation, the TgP’s PIMS has made a significant development in the use and management of the information provided by different techniques of inspections and monitoring of the pipeline and ROW. Due to the particular conditions of our pipeline system, where the weather and security issues are important restrictions in some locations, makes it impossible to access the right of way in order to get accurate and precise information. Some monitoring depends on people going to the field to collect data (geotechnical surveys, rain monitoring, strain gage measures, inclinometers, etc.). This information is essential to perform the risk analysis in the scope of the PIMS.
This paper shows different alternative techniques of monitoring which allow us to estimate the exposure of the pipelines to Geohazards. Among these techniques we have: topographic surveys with laser-detection LIDAR, monitoring of stress and displacement of the soil by fiber optics, UAV’s (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) surveys, acoustic leak detection, Inertial Navigation Tools (in line inspection), etc. It is also important to mention the alternative assessment methodologies in order to determine the pipeline exposure, resistance and mitigation to this threat using geological information and exhaustive desk analysis. It is important to get the more accurate information of the actual state of the pipeline system in order to eliminate most of the “default” values during the risk assessment. By integrating these inspections, monitoring and particular assessments as part of PIMS, we have been able get accurate risk assessments in order to mitigate and/or minimize the occurrence of failures. In this way we are able to optimize efforts to preserve the integrity of our system and in addition minimize personal, environmental and business impact.
