Selecting an appropriate maintenance policy for Petroleum pipeline system

Abstract

Petroleum pipelines are the most energy-efficient, safe, environmentally friendly, and economic way to transport oil and gas over long distances. Significant portions of many nations’ energy requirements are now transported through pipelines. With the economies of many countries depending on the smooth and uninterrupted operation of these lines, it is increasingly important to sustain, preserve and prolong the operating lives of the pipelines through systematic maintenance efforts that ensure the safe and failure-free operation of pipelines. This paper seeks to determine the appropriate maintenance policy for the pipeline system using analytic hierarchy process (AHP). A case study approach is adopted for the pipeline in Kenya. Several steps of the AHP approach are used in structuring the decision making process. Petroleum pipeline maintenance policy selection involves identifying the failure and risk factors that initiate pipeline failures and using them as criteria for selecting the appropriate maintenance policy. The pipeline system failure factors are: operational error, external interference, corrosion, structural defects and natural hazards. Four possible maintenance policy alternatives are considered: failure based maintenance, condition based maintenance, time based maintenance and design out maintenance. The AHP results suggest that condition based maintenance (CBM) is the most appropriate maintenance policy for the pipeline system.