Software Uses GIS Data To Identify High-Consequence Areas Along Pipelines

PetroChina Pipeline Company’s R&D Center has developed software for the efficient and accurate calculation of high-consequence areas (HCAs) along a natural gas or petroleum liquids pipeline route.

Based on ArcGIS Pipeline Data Model (APDM), the software uses the ArcGIS linear reference method. Once the facility and environmental data are stored in an Oracle database, HCA-affected pipeline segments can be located with the software developed to perform this spatial analysis.

The company used this software to determine the HCAs along the 1,200-km Lanzhou-Chengdu-Chongqing Oil Pipeline for refined products. The primary consequence factors were determined to be: 1) high population density; 2) rivers; and 3) roads. Several steps were followed by the software. They are: 1) data gathering; 2) data integration; 3) class location analysis; and 4) sensitive areas analysis. All the above steps were accomplished by the software. Threat identification for HCA segments was completed by field surveys. The software reduces the manual effort pipeline operators must expend to determine and manage HCA locations. This minimizes the need for costly direct assessments of pipe.
HCA™ Software

The software is designed to work as a standalone application linked to a data base. It is built to be configured to work on customized APDM models. Used in conjunction with APDM data, the software assists pipeline operators in meeting regulatory compliance, enabling rapid and accurate calculating affected segments of pipe along both gas transmission pipelines and hazardous liquid pipelines.

The software mainly consists of three modules: 1) Class Location Analysis, 2) HCATM for Gas Pipelines and 3) HCATM for Liquid Pipelines. In addition, some auxiliary management tools are included in the software, such as a dynamic project tool, analysis setting tool, data quality check tool, data upload and download tool, data view and query tool, and export tool. It is convenient for users to deal with data by these management tools. If the data is stored in a remote data base such as Oracle, the software also supplies a tool to download the required data for HCA analysis from Oracle. Moreover, a tool for uploading the result of analysis to the remote data base is included in the software.

The Class Location Analysis Module classifies pipeline segments according to Chinese-related rules, GB 50251-2003, Code for design of oil transportation pipeline engineering. The definition of classes in GB 50251-2003 is given in Table 1.

Table 1: The Definition Of Classes In GB 50251-2003.

In Table 1, a class location unit is an area that extends 200 meters on either side of the centerline of any continuous 2-kilometer length of the pipeline.

To automatically calculate classes by computer, we have developed an algorithm according to our rules. Using the algorithm, the class location of a pipeline segment is determined automatically by the density of inhabited or publicly used structures nearby. The classes range from 1 to 4.

In the analysis of class location, the threshold value of the number of buildings with four or more stories is determined by users. The default value is 100. If the box in the window’s form of class location analysis is checked by the user, the result of analysis is automatically stored in the local geospatial data base. Otherwise, the result of analysis isn’t stored as any format.

Gas Pipelines Module