The safety of the U.S. undersea pipeline system is a major national interest and concern, whether the concern focuses on risk to human life or the potential for environmental pollution and damage. Focusing primarily on the Gulf of Mexico system, this book reviews historical examples of pipeline failure, assesses the potential for future pipeline failures and the means of mitigating them, and considers the efficacy of existing safety systems and inspection procedures. It also identifies alternatives for improvements in the regulatory framework and in lawmaking.

This comprehensive handbook on submarine pipeline systems covers a broad spectrum of topics from planning and site investigations, procurement and design, to installation and commissioning. It considers guidelines for the choice of design parameters, calculation methods and construction procedures. It is based on limit state design with partial safety coefficients.

During the last three years, the Marine Board of the National Research Council (NRC) has published four study reports that focused on enhancing safety in offshore oil and gas activities and in the marine and maritime fields. The objective of these studies was to provide recommendations for actions that will reduce or eliminate deaths and injuries, reduce pollution from accidents and operations, and protect resources and structures from loss. Several recurring themes are woven through many of these reports. The themes deal with using technology already available and demonstrated, using risk analyses to establish priorities for use of resources (such as inspection facilities and personnel) despite the lack of data for decision making, using advanced tools for inspection and monitoring, and using long-term monitoring to gauge performance. One report about improving marine pipeline safety describes the safety challenges associated with designing, regulating, and monitoring over 20,000 miles of underwater pipelines in federal and state waters. The report on the restoration and protection of marine habitats comments on the institutional, regulatory, and managerial impediments to the wider application of the best engineering technologies and practices and the ways to deal with these impediments. The report on assessment techniques for removing offshore structures provides guidance on the use of technologies and their associated hazards and the development of strategies to mitigate environmental damage when offshore structures must be removed. One of the most recent reports describes a concept for using present undersea vehicles technology and systems to perform tasks that respond to the need to monitor the condition of offshore pipelines and seabed facilities. Two studies now underway continue several of the themes noted in aforementioned reports: one theme being a review of the uses of risk assessment opportunities in an effort to find useful experience from other industries. Another current study targets the introduction of human performance and organizational system theory and practice from other industries into the maritime and offshore industries.

A comprehensive and detailed reference guide on the integrity and safety of oil and gas pipelines, both onshore and offshore Covers a wide variety of topics, including design, pipe manufacture, pipeline welding, human factors, residual stresses, mechanical damage, fracture and corrosion, protection, inspection and monitoring, pipeline cleaning, direct assessment, repair, risk management, and abandonment Links modern and vintage practices to help integrity engineers better understand their system and apply up-to-date technology to older infrastructure Includes case histories with examples of solutions to complex problems related to pipeline integrity Includes chapters on stress-based and strain-based design, the latter being a novel type of design that has only recently been investigated by designer firms and regulators Provides information to help those who are responsible to establish procedures for ensuring pipeline integrity and safety

Immediately after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill occurred in the Gulf of Mexico on 20 April 2010 in the United States waters on the Macondo prospect about 60 km offshore the Texas coast, numerous worldwide efforts took place to increase the overall safety level related to offshore oil and gas operations. These have continued until today, with relevant changes and improvements in the offshore oil and gas sector mostly focusing on: 1) regulations and regulatory authorities; 2) working groups and industrial associations; 3) safety technologies, focusing especially on the most relevant developments that have been introduced, particularly with respect to well integrity, blow out preventers (BOPs), and capping and containment devices; 4) technical and operational standards; 5) risk management practices, especially concerning the management of human and organizational factors, which greatly contribute to the occurrence of major accidents in the offshore oil and gas sector. This book is not focused only on safety in offshore oil and gas operations, but all onshore efforts are also acknowledged. All methods, computational procedures, innovations, and technologies, which can increase the production rate, safety of pipelines, usability, and efficiency, are within the scope of this book. So are all aspects related to the production of oil and gas and drilling, both offshore and onshore, as well as those related to an increased degree of utilization and efficiency of drilling, all safety aspects, and all aspects of security of supply. Contributions from academia, standardization and regulatory bodies, manufacturers of equipment, service and exploitation companies, and from all other types of industry were welcome.