PetrisWINDS GIS Software Toolbox

Petris’ experience and expertise in Geospatial systems has resulted in the creation of a number of useful tools for pipeline analysis. The outputs of these tools help pipeline companies manage their pipelines and associated risk through identification of high consequence areas.

High Consequence Areas “Gas Transmission Pipelines”

The HCA tool identifies segments in a pipeline network that meet the criteria for high consequence areas (HCA). Each segment identified as a high consequence area represents an area where evacuation plans should be available for each different type of HCA structure (e.g. school, church, hospital, etc.) and defines the potential impact zone. The HCA tool uses the Potential Impact Radius (PIR) equation to calculate the radius of effect, taking the gas factor, diameter, and Maximum Allowable Operating Pressure (MAOP) into account. After the HCA tool determines the PIR, it calculates the buffer: an area defined by the tangents between different potential impact circles (circles drawn from the pipeline centerline to the PIR). The HCA tool will identify a segment of the pipeline as a high consequence area if there are a large number of residences or an HCA structure (e.g. schools, prisons, religious facilities, etc.) within the buffer.

  PetrisWINDS HCA Tool Product Data Sheet (PDF, 1042 kb)

High Consequence Area Comparison Tool

Pipeline companies must file a status change with the DOT each year.  This change requires that an evaluation be made of the current conditions with those of the past year. When comparative analysis is required, the pipeline companies must take two GIS files, one from the current year and one from the previous year, and determine what has changed. This HCA Compare Tool helps to identify and enumerate the cause and extent of change in HCA segments along a gas pipeline when comparing results from year-to-year.

PetrisWINDS HCA Comparison Tool (PDF, 686 kb)

Class Location

The Class Location tool classifies pipeline segments according to the density of inhabited or publicly used structures nearby. Classes range from from 1 to 4 in the USA. A high number of residences or high-occupancy structures (such as theaters, public playgrounds, or multi-story buildings) near the pipeline results in a higher-numbered class determination for the pipeline segment. The class location of a pipeline segment is closely related to that segment’s operating parameters (such as MAOP, wall thickness, etc). A pipeline segment with a high class location is probably passing through a highly urbanized area, and thus its operating requirements will be more exacting. By using the Class Location tool, a company will be able to tell at a glance which parts of its pipeline will be subject to more rigorous regulation – helping to keep operating costs low while ensuring that the pipelines are operating as safely as they should.

  PetrisWINDS Class Location Tool Product Data Sheet (PDF, 789 kb)

Analytical Tool Kit

The GIS Analytical Tool Kit (ATK) is designed to provide an ArcMap-based representation of risks related to the frequency of One Call tickets near a particular pipeline. The Toolkit groups points and ranks them to classify the risk by the frequency of tickets, measured by means of a sliding rule. Using the One Call database, ATK generates a point shapefile for overlay on existing maps.

  PetrisWINDS ATK Product Data Sheet (PDF, 921 kb)

Data Viewer

The Data Viewer is a user-friendly application designed to allow users to view ESRI shapefiles and ER Mapper Image files. The Data Viewer interprets the input of a global positioning system (GPS) to provide real-time viewing and navigation. The Data Viewer also includes a Redline feature, which allows the user to create overlays by drawing on the Map Display. This feature aids in designing map layout and producing hard copy.

  PetrisWINDS GIS Data Viewer Product Data Sheet (PDF, 1185 kb)

Seg Gen and Point Gen Tool

This tool segments the pipeline centerline according to the engineering stations provided by alignment sheets. Given a shapefile of a pipeline and a .dbf file containing the data for engineering stations, Seg Gen / Point Gen creates an additional shapefile of the pipeline segmented according to the engineering station locations. All data contained in the .dbf file can then be viewed as attributes of the segment shapefile.