Mexico hosted ARPEL Workshop on Data Analysis of In-Line Inspection (ILI) of Pipelines, held October 5-6 under the sponsorship of Petróleos Mexicanos, which was attended by professionals from ASME, CENIT, COGA, ECOPETROL, ENAP, EP-PETROECUADOR, IMP, NACE, OCP, PETROBRAS, RECOPE, YPF, YPFB Transporte and the host company.

The purpose of the event was to share experiences and good practices among pipeline operators in Latin America and the Caribbean regarding the maintenance of their infrastructure through the management of in-line inspections.

Among the main topics covered were relevant regulations, the need to establish a process and a multidisciplinary team for adequate inspection and maintenance management, the inspection through PIGs, the management of specific threats, such as stress, corrosion, cracking and illegal taps, as well as specific experiences of companies from the region.

As stated during the workshop by Fabián Sánchez, Engineering Manager of OCP Ecuador, it is important to manage the integrity in order to “maintain the good condition of a system with respect to public safety, protection of the environment and operational reliability," so the system must be robust and able to perform the tasks for which it was designed in accordance with the regulations, the environment and the community.

Sánchez pointed out that although visual inspection is the most effective way, there is a big limitation for its implementation on long sections. This is the reason why ILI inspection through pigs is the most cost-effective method, provided it may be performed and following a proper process of identification of threats and risk analysis.

On the other hand and for different reasons, not all pipelines are "piggable", i.e. the passage of a pig is not always possible. In this regard, YPF shared its experience in adapting two pipelines located in Buenos Aires and Mendoza for them to be "piggable."

Eliceo Sosa of IMP presented two successful cases of direct assessment of two pipelines.

The experts agreed on the importance of maintaining historical records of some critical information on the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the pipelines and their physical environment, and the use of a methodology of risk analysis to take investment decisions in the intervention of pipelines.

In conclusion, being proactive in the management of pipeline integrity is key in achieving a reduction of both costs and risks.