Should Our Critical Assets Have an End of Life?

Critical large diameter pipelines around the world are often thought of as assets with a defined end-of-life. With the logistical and financial barriers that exist with a wholesale replacement of these assets, and the high consequence of failure associated with large diameter pipelines, inspection technologies have been increasingly deployed to avoid failures and better define the “remaining useful life” before replacement is planned. While these technologies have facilitated the avoidance of many catastrophic failures, it is worthwhile exploring whether these assets can be maintained indefinitely rather than planned for replacement. For example, a review of over 20 years of condition data collected on pre-stressed concrete cylinder pipe (PCCP) consistently demonstrates that over 90% of these assets are in near nominal condition, irrespective of age. Leveraging a significant library of condition and break data, the authors present an alternative to conventional wisdom: that with a data driven inspection and proactive management plan, these assets can be in service indefinitely.