The consequence assessment of gas pipeline failure due to corrosion

Abstract

In this paper, a qualitative consequence assessment method for damaged urban naturalgas pipelines is proposed. It focuses on identifying reputation loss factors according to stakeholders’(investors, customers, employees, and communities) perceptions. The analytical hierarchy process(AHP) method is applied to prioritize these factors. Results show that the loss of customerconfidence ranks as the highest contributor to an operator’s reputation loss due to a pipelineaccident. Thus, better risk assessment of pipeline damage due to corrosion will be achieved with theinclusion of reputation loss in the consequence assessment. Hence, decision making in pipelinerepair, inspection, and maintenance can be improved as well as a company’s annual profit margin.