Tackling steep and mountainous terrain

unachievable levels of safety and reliability, as well as greatly increase operational uptime. Combining business intelligence tools with advanced algorithms enables organisations to collect, process, and analyse information from a variety of sources, allowing potential issues to be identified before they occur. For example, by analysing historical data, and combining it with up-to-date information – such as external air and internal gas temperatures – technicians may be able to anticipate valve malfunctions at a particular location. In many cases, implementing these solutions at the field level will require upgrades to both the communication infrastructure – IoT devices, Bluetooth, ethernet, etc. – and the flow computers, to ensure they have the processing capacity to manage the huge swathes of data generated. However, these costs should be offset against the benefits of predictive analytics, which provide technicians with an opportunity to take corrective action where and when it is needed, before it becomes a critical issue that could impact the wider network.

Another innovative solution building on the foundations of predictive analytics is rule-based strategies. Data from pipelines can be analysed for failure indicators, which are then used to generate rules that adjust or shut down operations to mitigate risk or damage. For example, suppose predefined limits on certain variables – differential pressure, static pressure or temperature – are exceeded. In that case, the system can identify whether the pipeline is heading towards failure, and automatically flag the issue or take action to protect the system. Rule-based strategies can also help to address issues arising from human error. Technicians must manually input specific data into flow computers, which can be entered incorrectly or miscalculated beforehand. However, if the system knows the accurate baseline variables, it can notify the technician of a mistake, or override the incorrect data. This can prevent simple accounting errors that are common causes of product LAUF, saving time and resources that would otherwise be spent searching for lost product and the root cause of the error.

The bottom line: applying what we know to improve operations The industry is certainly evolving – albeit at a slower pace than other sectors – and starting to implement these gamechanging technical solutions. Some companies may feel they are unnecessary, and that the risk of pipeline failure doesn’t outweigh the financial burden of upgrading its operations. It can also seem unclear how much of a financial investment is needed, or if that money would be better invested in a new pipeline that clearly shows its return on investment (ROI). It’s hard to determine ROI on cybersecurity measures and predictive analytics, as it’s hard to quantify their future value. However, reducing the number of pipeline failures directly results in increased uptime, improved resource management, and, ultimately, greater profitability.

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Successfully installing crucial infrastructure through mountainous terrain requires a team of experts, argues Lindsey Mattson, Precision Pipeline, LLC, USA.

Successfully building critical infrastructure through mountainous terrain begins with extensive planning and requires a highly skilled workforce capable of operating specialised equipment. From site-specific slope and terrain evaluations to equipment and crew competency, all hazards must be identified and addressed to ensure the work is completed safely and environmentally compliant, resulting in a high-quality final product.

Pre-construction planning includes a complete site review of steep slopes, geohazards, the variety of work environments, traditional weather conditions throughout the course of the project and the possibility of unpredictable weather. “We need to know the full scope of the project to make sure we have materials, equipment and training necessary to get the job done,” says Jeffrey Fenton, Vice President of Equipment & Transportation with Precision Pipeline, LLC (PPL). “Once we know what is needed to safely perform each task, we start evaluating

Figure 1. Materials used to winch, such as steel cable and shackles, as well as the way they are attached to equipment, is all taken into consideration. Heavy equipment is adapted to safely perform winching activities by the addition of redundant anchor points and connection systems.

Figure 2. Completing soil nailing, anchoring high tensile mesh to the surface by soil nails. our equipment capabilities and researching additional materials to have everything on hand before construction even begins.” In addition to safety and equipment, a thorough site review assists with planning the environmental and engineering needs throughout the project as well as identifies restoration challenges on steep, hilly terrain prone to shallow landslides and slips.

What is mountainous terrain? Many different types of hilly terrain may be encountered within one project and it is critical to have predetermined construction and restoration processes ready, in addition to the approved equipment, to ensure safety of the crew and stability of the geography. Identifying what is considered mountainous terrain for the scope of work is the first step in preconstruction planning. Slopes can be gentle, steep, concave or convex, each creating their own challenges. The incline percentage of a particular slope can be calculated by dividing the vertical elevation (rise) by horizontal distance (run) and then multiplying by 100. This percentage, combined with slope type, is used to categorise each slope and determine what materials and construction processes are needed for successfully working through that area.

Slope incline percentage also indicates critical failure planes so those areas are addressed during preconstruction. Additionally, this percentage is used to determine the effects weather will have on each slope, particularly wet, rainy conditions. “The effects of water on the local geologic conditions cannot be overstated. The layered strata of the area are often found to capture water and deposit it along the slope faces,” says Kurt Schwartzbauer, PE, Project Engineer with Precision Engineering Solutions, LLC. “This captured water coupled with seasonal rains can produce highly saturated and unstable conditions.”

Full project scope analysis with redundancy in planning and equipment cannot be stressed enough in order to successfully complete a project through mountainous terrain.

In addition to the challenges of working on the slopes of mountainous terrain, river and road crossings are more abundant as the bottom of the slopes meet to create valleys. “We performed construction on a large North American project that required our crews to work in extreme hilly or mountainous terrain throughout the majority of the installation,” says Kris Evanto, Director of Major Projects for PPL. “The entire terrain was considered and evaluated, including all crossings, slope type and incline percentage, as well as soil composition. We then decided on a minimum percentage that would be used to determine if the slope qualified as ‘steep’ for our purposes and applied appropriate working processes to that site.”

Safety and competency Every project, every day, begins and ends with safety. Construction in mountainous terrain adds complexities that slow progress and require additional measures. Once work is ready to begin, special training for crews is completed. Everyone working on the project must familiarise themselves