Reliability-Centered Maintenance Approach Applied to a Pipeline

A recent business process re-engineering effort undertaken at NOVA Gas Transmission Ltd. provided an opportunity to completely review and improve upon strategies and methodologies used in the maintenance of a very complex natural gas transportation system. In order to achieve safety and reliability in an expanding and aging system, a completely new approach to maintenance planning was adopted based on a Reliability-Centered Maintenance strategy. This is the first application of this approach to a gas transportation system. Development of this maintenance methodology, its major components, and specifically how it has been applied to a pipeline are discussed. The integration of this strategy into a complete pipeline integrity management system allowing full assessment of all hazards specific to the pipe is also reviewed. Examples of results and benefits from the first systems analyzed using this new approach are presented.