TABLE OF CONTENTS Most pipelines will have surface (above ground) facilities in addition to buried pipeline. These include pump and compressor stations, tank farms, as well as metering and valve locations. Such facilities differ from pipe-only portions of the pipeline in significant ways and, yet, must be included in most decisions regarding risk management. Typical operating and maintenance processes involve prioritizing work on tanks, pumps, and compressors with ROW activities. Many modern risk assessments are including surface facilities in a manner that accounts for the differences in risk and still allows direct comparisons among various system components. This chapter outlines some techniques for such risk assessements.
Many station facilities employ design techniques, such as piping corrosion allowances, reliability-based equipment maintenance, and best preventive maintenance practices. Facilities often include pieces of large rotating equipment (e.g., compressors, pumps, motor operated valves), as well as sophisticated electronic monitoring equipment (e.g., SCADA, programmable logic controllers, leak detection, on-site control centers, etc.).
Because of increased property control and opportunities for observation, the cause, size, duration, and impact of leaks at stations are often smaller than a pipeline failure. Liquid facilities usually have spill containment berms and storm water collection systems, as well as equipment leak detection and capture systems, so the potential for a product release to reach the surrounding environment is significantly mitigated compared with a release on the pipeline ROW. Stations handling gaseous products normally have vents, flares, and safety systems designed to minimize off-site excursions of...
