Elena opened the digital version of B31.8S. She searched for "reassessment interval." The standard said that for pipes in HCAs, integrity assessments must be performed at intervals not exceeding seven years. She checked her records. The last in-line inspection on this segment was nine years ago. The company had requested a waiver, citing low corrosion rates and stable ground conditions. The waiver was approved by a state regulator who had since taken a job with a pipeline lobbying firm.
A critical aspect of using the ASME compendium is understanding the difference in Design Factors ($F$). asme pipeline standards compendium
The most widely used code for the design, operation, and maintenance of natural gas distribution and transmission pipelines. ASME B31.8S Elena opened the digital version of B31
While the term "pipeline" typically evokes cross-country transmission lines, ASME standards distinguish between "piping" (typically within facility fences) and "pipelines" (cross-country). The B31 series covers both, often delineated by the following primary volumes: The last in-line inspection on this segment was
Three months later, Elena sat in a conference room in New Orleans, surrounded by forty other engineers, lawyers, and academics. She had been asked to serve on the next revision committee for B31.8S. Her first proposal was a small one: remove the phrase "should consider" from a section on geohazard risk assessments. Replace it with "shall evaluate."