System to Facilitate Pipeline Management, Program Product, and Related Methods
First Claim
1. A system to manage a pipeline rupture, the system comprising:
- a computer positioned in communication with a communication network to define a pipeline information management server and having a processor, memory coupled to the processor;
a user computer in communication with the communication network and having a graphical user interface; and
pipeline information management analyzing software to analyze a pipeline rupture, the pipeline information management analyzing software stored in the memory of the pipeline information management server and including instructions that when executed by the pipeline information management server cause the pipeline information management server to perform the following operations;
receiving an indication of a location of a pipeline rupture,identifying an immediate upstream valve located upstream of the location of the pipeline rupture and an immediate downstream valve located downstream of the location of the pipeline rupture responsive to receiving the indication of a location of the pipeline rupture to thereby identify pipeline valves potentially needing to be closed,calculating an amount of pipeline segment volume inventory between the identified immediate upstream valve and the identified immediate downstream valve responsive to the identification of the immediate upstream valve and the immediate downstream valve and one or more pipeline attributes to thereby determine potential lost inventory from the pipeline rupture and to facilitate forecasting a potential environmental impact of the pipeline rupture,determining a rupture exposure radius coverage area of the pipeline rupture responsive to the location of the pipeline rupture to thereby identify an area affected by the pipeline rupture and to thereby provide information about selected pipeline equipment within the rupture exposure radius coverage area, andproviding data to display on the graphical user interface of the user computer, an indication of the rupture exposure radius coverage area and critical engineering data for one or more of the following;
the ruptured pipeline, the identified immediate upstream valve, and the identified immediate downstream valve.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Systems, program code, and methods to facilitate pipeline management, are provided. An example of a method can include the steps of forming digitized map segments to provide for display of a geographical relationship between terrain featured in the map segments and a pipeline network, forming pipeline equipment records to provide for detailed engineering analysis on associated pipeline equipment, functionally linking each digitized map segment and each pipeline equipment record to at least one geographically associated pipeline operational area, identifying a rupture exposure radius coverage area of the rupture, identifying an immediate upstream and downstream valve from the pipeline rupture, identifying pipeline valves potentially needing to be closed, determining potential lost inventory, forecasting a potential environmental impact of the rupture, and displaying critical engineering data and drawings for the effected portion of the ruptured pipeline, the identified immediate upstream valve, and the identified immediate downstream valve.
39 Citations
47 Claims
-
1. A system to manage a pipeline rupture, the system comprising:
-
a computer positioned in communication with a communication network to define a pipeline information management server and having a processor, memory coupled to the processor; a user computer in communication with the communication network and having a graphical user interface; and pipeline information management analyzing software to analyze a pipeline rupture, the pipeline information management analyzing software stored in the memory of the pipeline information management server and including instructions that when executed by the pipeline information management server cause the pipeline information management server to perform the following operations; receiving an indication of a location of a pipeline rupture, identifying an immediate upstream valve located upstream of the location of the pipeline rupture and an immediate downstream valve located downstream of the location of the pipeline rupture responsive to receiving the indication of a location of the pipeline rupture to thereby identify pipeline valves potentially needing to be closed, calculating an amount of pipeline segment volume inventory between the identified immediate upstream valve and the identified immediate downstream valve responsive to the identification of the immediate upstream valve and the immediate downstream valve and one or more pipeline attributes to thereby determine potential lost inventory from the pipeline rupture and to facilitate forecasting a potential environmental impact of the pipeline rupture, determining a rupture exposure radius coverage area of the pipeline rupture responsive to the location of the pipeline rupture to thereby identify an area affected by the pipeline rupture and to thereby provide information about selected pipeline equipment within the rupture exposure radius coverage area, and providing data to display on the graphical user interface of the user computer, an indication of the rupture exposure radius coverage area and critical engineering data for one or more of the following;
the ruptured pipeline, the identified immediate upstream valve, and the identified immediate downstream valve. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
-
-
9. A tangible computer readable storage medium embodying a set of instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the following operations:
-
identifying an immediate upstream valve located upstream of the location of the pipeline rupture and an immediate downstream valve located downstream of the location of the pipeline rupture responsive to receiving an indication of a location of the pipeline rupture to thereby identify pipeline valves potentially needing to be closed; and calculating an amount of pipeline segment volume inventory between the identified immediate upstream valve and the identified immediate downstream valve responsive to the identification of the immediate upstream valve and the immediate downstream valve and responsive to one or more pipeline attributes to thereby determine potential lost inventory from the pipeline rupture and to facilitate forecasting a potential environmental impact of the pipeline rupture. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
-
-
20. A tangible computer readable storage medium embodying a set of instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the following operations:
-
determining a rupture exposure radius coverage area of a pipeline rupture responsive to receiving the indication of a location of the pipeline rupture to thereby identify an area affected by the pipeline rupture; identifying at least one immediate upstream valve located upstream of the location of the pipeline rupture and at least one immediate downstream valve located downstream of the location of the pipeline rupture responsive to one or more of the following;
receiving an indication of a location of the pipeline rupture and determining a rupture exposure radius coverage area of the pipeline rupture, to thereby identify pipeline valves potentially needing to be closed; andproviding data to display on a graphical user interface of a user computer, critical engineering data and drawings for one or more of the following;
the ruptured pipeline, the at least one identified immediate upstream valve, and the at least one identified immediate downstream valve. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22)
-
-
23. A computer-assisted method of analyzing a pipeline rupture, the method comprising the steps of:
-
identifying at least one immediate upstream valve located upstream of the location of the pipeline rupture and at least one immediate downstream valve located downstream of the location of the pipeline rupture responsive to receiving an indication of a location of the pipeline rupture to thereby identify pipeline valves potentially needing to be closed, the step of identifying performed by a computer; and displaying on a graphical user interface of a user computer, critical engineering data for at least one of the following on a computer display responsive to user selection thereof on a computer graphical user interface;
the ruptured pipeline, the at least one identified immediate upstream valve, and the at least one identified immediate downstream valve. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27)
-
-
28. A computer-assisted method of analyzing a pipeline rupture, the method comprising the steps of:
-
receiving an indication of a location of a pipeline rupture; identifying an immediate upstream valve located upstream of the location of the pipeline rupture and an immediate downstream valve located downstream of the location of the pipeline rupture responsive to receiving the indication of a location of the pipeline rupture to thereby identify pipeline valves potentially needing to be closed, the step of identifying performed by a computer; calculating an amount of pipeline segment volume inventory between the identified immediate upstream valve and the identified immediate downstream valve by the computer responsive to the identification of the immediate upstream valve and the immediate downstream valve and responsive to one or more pipeline attributes to thereby determine potential lost inventory from the pipeline rupture and to forecast a potential environmental impact of the pipeline rupture; identifying a rupture exposure radius coverage area of the pipeline rupture by the computer responsive to the location of the pipeline rupture to thereby identify an area affected by the pipeline rupture and to thereby provide information about selected pipeline equipment within the rupture exposure radius coverage area; and displaying on a graphical user interface of a user computer, an indication of the rupture exposure radius coverage area and critical engineering data for one or more of the following;
the ruptured pipeline, the identified immediate upstream valve, and the identified immediate downstream valve. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
-
-
37. A computer-assisted method of analyzing a pipeline rupture, the method comprising the steps of:
-
receiving an indication of a location of a pipeline rupture; identifying an immediate upstream valve located upstream of the location of the pipeline rupture and an immediate downstream valve located downstream of the location of the pipeline rupture responsive to receiving the indication of a location of the pipeline rupture to thereby identify pipeline valves potentially needing to be closed, the step of identifying performed by a computer; and calculating an amount of pipeline segment volume inventory between the identified immediate upstream valve and the identified immediate downstream valve by the computer responsive to the identification of the immediate upstream valve and the immediate downstream valve and responsive to one or more pipeline attributes and a pipeline product attribute to thereby determine potential lost inventory from the pipeline rupture and to forecast a potential environmental impact of the pipeline rupture. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
-
-
46. A computer-assisted method of analyzing a pipeline rupture, the method comprising the steps of:
-
determining a rupture exposure radius coverage area of a pipeline rupture responsive to receiving the indication of a location of the pipeline rupture to thereby identify an area affected by the pipeline rupture; identifying at least one immediate upstream valve located upstream of the location of the pipeline rupture and at least one immediate downstream valve located downstream of the location of the pipeline rupture responsive to one or more of the following;
receiving an indication of a location of the pipeline rupture and determining a rupture exposure radius coverage area of the pipeline rupture, to thereby identify pipeline valves potentially needing to be closed; anddisplaying on a graphical user interface of a user computer, critical engineering data and drawings for one or more of the following;
the ruptured pipeline, the at least one identified immediate upstream valve, and the at least one identified immediate downstream valve. - View Dependent Claims (47)
-
Specification