Rupture Mitigation Valves (RMVs) are critical components for gas operators, they are designed to prevent catastrophic failures in gas pipelines by quickly isolating ruptured sections. However, utilities face significant challenges in implementing RMVs, including high installation costs, complex integration with existing infrastructure, and the need for continuous monitoring and maintenance.
Addressing these challenges is essential for ensuring the safety and reliability of gas distribution networks.
What is your organization’s strategy for incorporating and managing RMVs in your network?
For brand new pipeline segments, the analysis and placement may seem straightforward, but are they optimally positioned and aligned with the rest of your network?
What about RMV placement in existing pipes or newly identified high consequence areas?
Analysis can quickly become complex with hundreds of assets to consider, multiple parameters, the impact of adding valves, the disruption to customers; distilling a tangible answer out of this can become overwhelming.
Now, imagine the ability to predict the most vulnerable points along a pipeline and strategically place RMVs to mitigate risks effectively. Imagine being able to assess proposed network changes and buildouts to ensure the best placement.
Our data-driven, spatial analysis approach not only ensures quick isolation of potentially ruptured segments but also maximizes the efficiency of emergency responses. For operators, this means a dramatic reduction in downtime, lower repair costs, and enhanced compliance with stringent safety regulations.
Since 2022, all transmission pipeline operators must plan for RMV installations. Subsequently the arrangement of these valves is dependent on multiple factors like valve-to-valve spacing limitations, therefore optimally locating RMV placements requires a system-wide planning approach.
Installing RMV’s reactively and piecemeal will result in waste. ENTRUST’s solution efficiently plans your RMV placements to satisfy regulatory requirements using the fewest RMVs possible. We do this by analyzing and leveraging data you already maintain.
The code mandating the installation of RMVs requires gas transmission operators to install RMVs on most newly-installed pipelines or entirely-replaced pipelines.
Pipeline replacement work may trigger the new requirement for existing transmission networks and thus require operators to install RMVs. There is a risk when completing this type of installation in a piecemeal fashion as each RMV location influences the valve-to-valve spacing of the next RMV in the network which in turn influences the next RMV and so on.
This means that operators may paint themselves into a corner when eventually the rest of their system triggers additional RMV installations.
ENTRUST’s RMV Optimization Services produce a system-wide plan of optimally-located RMV placements.
It does this by using the operator’s existing GIS data to construct a digital network model. Then, it rapidly searches for an optimal arrangement of RMVs using a genetic algorithm.
Beyond Data Solutions experts, we also have a full staff of gas and integrity engineers.
ENTRUST’s regulatory compliance subject-matter-experts ensure that our solution results in a system-wide and fully compliant RMV plan. The relevant code includes 192.179 Transmission line valves and 192.634 Transmission lines: Onshore valve shut-off for rupture mitigation.
Our solution eliminates hard-to-predict RMV redundancy years before they pose a risk. Each RMV project ranges from a quarter to a half million in design, material and installation costs.
We identify the highest priority RMV installs based on the risk of the impacted piping which gives our clients the ability to appropriately plan and budget for network upgrades.
Our RMV Optimization analysis works by distilling highly-complex network problems into their simplest forms: edges and nodes, allowing for computational searches to identify optimal solutions. A genetic algorithm is used to iteratively evolve potential solutions, combining the best aspects of each scenario to find the most efficient network configuration.
This process generates a RMV plan that requires the fewest valves, ensuring efficient and effective protection for gas pipelines.
Our experts review the outcomes with operators to finalize the results and produce final recommendations. By simplifying the problem and leveraging advanced computational techniques, our analysis can maximize safety while minimizing costs.
Ready to transform your safety and compliance? Our RMV Optimization Services empower utilities to overcome challenges, improve reliability, reduce risks and costs, and achieve operational excellence—all without disrupting your workflow.
Schedule a free demo today and discover how we can help you meet your RMV challenges.
Contact us at: info@entrustsol.com or call 630-353-4000.
(630) 353-4000
info@entrustsol.com