Through our experience in the application of Geographic Information System (GIS) technology to the pipeline transmission industry, Eagle Information Mapping, Inc. (Eagle) has assisted numerous pipeline operators to address requirements set forth in the Office of Pipeline Safety's (OPS) Rules on Pipeline Integrity Management in High Consequence Areas (HCA) (49 CFR 195.452). Eagle can deliver a solution to help meet client needs for ‘Segment Identification’, ‘Risk Analysis’, and ‘Preventive & Mitigative Measures’ compliance requirements while providing an infrastructure to analyze and address long term integrity management objectives
Eagle is the only company in the pipeline GIS Industry that offers a full set of Pipeline GIS Integrity Management software for both Pipeline Open Data Standard (PODS) and the ArcGIS Pipeline Data Model (APDM). Eagle’s products can also be configured to work with data that is not stored in a structured data model. Eagle’s Integrity Management Team uses Eagle’s own software to perform Liquids HCA, Gas HCA, EFRD, Re-Route and RISK Analysis.
Eagle provides Integrity Analysis services to clients for existing and proposed pipeline segments by creating HCA projects, performing the analysis and delivering the results as in both report and GIS data formats.
The techniques Eagle employs include buffer modeling for non-liquid releases, Overland Flow and Hydrographic Transport modeling using the latest NHDinGeo data for crude and refined product releases and highly volatile liquids for specific release conditions and products.
Liquids HCA Analysis
Eagle utilizes its process for Pipeline Release, Overland Flow, and Hydrographic Transport (PROFHT)™ Analysis to identify which pipeline segments ‘could affect’ HCAs. Eagle integrates computed results, such as initial spill volumes, remaining response times and spill volumes at each HCA intersection, along with the client's risk weighting factors, such as those for product hazards and receptors, to calculate a consequence profile along the pipeline as a measure of the relative impact to HCAs.
EFRD Analysis
Eagle has developed its EFRD Placement Evaluation solution as a stand-alone application or to work in conjunction with Eagle’s HCA PROFHT Analysis results. The EFRD software is used to model and evaluate the effectiveness of existing emergency flow restriction devices, identify potential locations for installing new EFRD’s, model and evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed EFRD’s and prioritize potential EFRD installations according their ability to prevent or mitigate the impact to HCA’s. The EFRD software has the ability to allow users to set-up, run, visulaize and report on individual EFRD projects.
GAS HCA Analysis
Eagle’s Gas HCA Analysis software is a multi-facet tool that allows you the ability to determine Class Location and HCA Segments along their entire pipeline system from a single platform. The tool also gives the user the functionality for determining the Management of Change associated with the different “Runs” that have been produced with Eagle’s tool. By allowing the comparison between “Runs” the end user can determine what the “deltas” are between the two for easy identification of as to changes that have occurred over a period of time or different operating parameter that were used to create the “Runs”. In addition to the Class Location, HCA Segment and Management of Change Eagle’s tool has the ability to calculate MAOP segments for the end user.
Re-Route Analysis
Eagle has developed software that employs enhanced spatial analysis techniques to more accurately determine which pipeline segments “could affect” High Consequence Areas (HCA) after a pipeline is rerouted. This application has been written in response to a request from the Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS) to provide adequate technical justification for changes in spill volumes due to elevation changes for the newly routed segment. The tool compares the existing route to the new route and takes into account flow restriction devices. The end result is empirical justification that a newly routed segment increases or decreases the probability of topographical features (elevation, hydrology) contributing to transporting product away from a pipeline release, and therefore affecting HCA’s.
RISK Analysis
Eagle’s RISK tool is a highly flexible and configurable tool for calculating relative RISK along a Gas or Liquids pipeline centerline. The RISK tool incorporates Eagle GeoProcessing Toolkit™ (GPT) to perform GIS-based dynamic segmentation, Risk calculations and Risk Roll-up operations. The RISK tool can be extended through GPT to integrate with other Eagle applications including automatic Alignment Sheet generation using Eagle’s TurboRoute™ product. Eagle’s RISK tool has a flexible architecture and functionality for handling NULL or missing values, automated upload of RISK results to an enterprise GIS data store, and the functionality of GPT™ for pre-processing, querying and parsing GIS data as input to the segmentation and RISK calculations.
Tank Modeling
In order for operators to comply with DOT and EPA regulations they need to determine the potential impact for a partial or complete spill release from a tank within their facilities. Eagle has developed a process by which a client can model the tank release over a matter of minutes or over an extended period of time for a delayed release. The release plume will be modeled for overland flow/lateral spread outside of the facility to determine the potential impact for hydrographic transport of the release. Eagle incorporates our Hydro flow process using NHDinGeo data to determine potential HCA impacts downstream of the release.
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