THE IMPORTANCE OF HYDRAULIC ANALYSIS FOR THE SAFETY AND INTEGRITY OF OIL PIPELINES

Abstract

Safety is a crucial issue for the operation ofcrude oil and refined products pipelines. If the tubecollapses due to overstress, corrosion or other relatedfactors, leaks may cause important damage to individuals,properties and environment. Hazard analysis should beperformed following methods and standards accepted by theoil industry, in order to identify and classify risks andevaluate their consequences. The contribution of all theareas involved in design, construction, operation andmaintenance is required. Hydraulic analysis is and essentialfeature, because it is very important to control internalpressures, not only during normal operation but particularlyduring hydraulic transients. This paper illustrates this bypresenting the case of a 30 inches diameter and 265 kmlength crude oil pipeline, crossing the Isthmus ofTehuantepec from the Mexican Gulf to the Pacific. Results ofhydraulic analysis are presented and impact on mechanicalintegrity and safety is discussed.Index Terms ⎯ pipelines, hydraulics, oil industry, hydraulictransients.