Applying a Purpose-Driven Methodology to Develop a Pipeline Condition Assessment Plan and Program

Given the increasing experience and education in pipeline condition assessment, it is now not uncommon to see a risk-based programmatic approach to managing pipelines. Each program has particulars that are relevant to the organization and its assets. For condition assessment, it is often easy to get lost in the technical details, which leads to over-engineering. However, there are common factors among all pipeline condition assessment planning that can be simplified to help others start their assessment and management journey. In particular, there is a four-step purpose-driven methodology based on these common factors that can be applied to all pipeline condition assessment planning efforts, which includes (1) Determining the goal and objectives; (2) Determining the risk or criticality; (3) Determining the failure modes and mechanisms; and (4) Determining the practical constraints. These four steps help build a business case and determine the level of assessment required, which in turn becomes easier to communicate with stakeholders for planning and execution. This paper outlines the application of this four-step method to developing a program for critical prestressed and steel pipe raw sewage mains in Australia, a mature asset management-centric region. It is the first-of-its-kind program for the region and has evolved since its development over 10 years ago.