SOFTWARE & TECHNOLOGY: GAS HCA TOOL

EN Data Solutions provides best-in-class software that utilizes modern, scalable, and accurate tools to aid operators in determining class and consequence for natural gas systems.

Class Location and High Consequence Area/Moderate Consequence Area (HCA/MCA) analyses create complex implications for pipeline management, affecting maximum allowable operating pressure (MAOP), integrity management and assessment plans, and protection of local communities and the environment. Cost-effective tools are needed to deal with increasing amounts of data, changing regulatory requirements, and the time-intensive calculations involved, year after year.

IMPROVED ACCURACY AND SCALABLE ANALYTICS FOR SAFER OPERATIONS

• Results are consistent, reproducible, defendable
• Reduced processing cycle times
• Extremely granular understanding of consequence of risk
• Enables “what-if” analysis on demand

OUR APPROACH

EN Data Solutions’ Gas HCA Tool is a comprehensive software suite that performs Class Location determination using the sliding mile algorithm and calculates HCAs, using either Class Location results (method 1) or the Potential Impact Radius (PIR) formula (method 2). PIR-based MCA analysis (including road data conditioning) is also included. The software fully supports analysis of both transmission and regulated gathering lines.

The Gas HCA Tool breaks calculation of Class Location, HCAs/MCAs, and gathering lines determinations into a set of individual tools. Each tool then performs a specific task and can be linked together in Esri® ModelBuilder (in ArcGIS Pro or ArcGIS Desktop) to complete Class Location and HCA/MCA calculations.

The Gas HCA Tool supports critical natural gas pipeline regulatory analyses, including Class Location as defined in 49 CFR §192.5, High Consequence Area (HCA) determination as defined in 49 CFR §192.903, and Moderate Consequence Area (MCA) determination as defined in 84 FR 52180 (Docket No.

PHMSA-2011-0023; Amdt. Nos. 191-26; 192-125).

The tool also increases efficiency by automating Class Location and HCA/MCA analysis, improving accuracy and reproducibility to reinforce manual analysis. Powerful dynamic segmentation functionality provides output that clearly indicates the number of structures and/or identified sites impacting any given pipe segment, while highlighting segments that qualify as an HCA or MCA.

KEY FEATURES INCLUDE:

• Esri® UPDM and Esri® APR, plus PODSTM integration.
• Accurate assessment and documentation of asset classes and consequence areas.
• Actionable spatial insights for risk and response planning considering the environment and the community.
• Help in prioritizing work procedures for assessments, repairs, and additional integrity-related activities and ensuring compliance with codes and rules.
• Executive dashboards and reports for reviewing the financial impacts of pipelines with the largest amounts of HCAs and MCAs.

EN DATA SOLUTIONS DELIVERS:

The EN Data Solutions Gas HCA Tool maintains its own project database and allows users to pull pipeline data from any database. Results are generated as geospatial features, easily exported into tabular formats, and readily imported into an operator’s GIS database.