Operators of pipelines carrying highly volatile liquid (HVL) or similar products (e.g. natural gas liquids, propane, butane, etc.) need to understand the potential impacts from release incidents. This consequence analysis contributes to meeting the requirements of the US DOT Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s (PHMSA) hazardous liquids pipeline transportation regulations (49 CFR § 195) or other similar regulations. The outputs from this analysis, the geographic areas where impacts may occur, can be used to identify where impacts to high consequence areas (HCA) are possible. More generally, this analysis can support better decision-making about risk and mitigation. HVL products, while transported as liquids (under pressure or at regulated temperatures), can be released as vapor and/or liquid depending on the composition of the product.
Undisclosed North American pipeline operator
By analyzing the composition of the released HVL product and simulating releases of both vapors and liquids, RPS can help pipeline operators fully understand the potential impacts from these pipelines. An undisclosed pipeline operator needed to understand the potential impacts of hypothetical releases from 11 pipelines, totaling over 600 miles in length, comprising a major HVL pipeline system. The pipeline system transports a range of HVL products with varying compositions. RPS helped characterize full-bore rupture releases for each product, including the magnitude (release rate), duration, and proportion of liquid and vapor released. Both vapor dispersion and liquid trajectory and fate release simulations were performed to determine the potential areas impacted by a release. Vapor dispersion modeling was used to predict the maximum distance from the pipeline that harmful vapor concentrations could exceed to explosive and human health related limits. Liquid plume modeling was performed to assess the overland and downstream trajectory and fate of the liquid portion of the release.
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RPS is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. We will only use your personal information to administer your account and to provide the products and services you have requested. We would also like to contact you about our products and services, as well as other content that may be of interest to you.