In any area of engineering, safety cannot be an afterthought; it has to be carefully considered throughout every step of the process. This is especially true when you are dealing with a substance that has the potential to be very dangerous, such as gas. Ensuring that the gas isn’t leaking from the pipelines once they’re installed is only one part of the process. There are a variety of factors to consider when ensuring the safety of pipelines, as we have outlined below:

Planning

We have a saying: ‘proper planning prevents poor pipelines’. And despite sounding a bit silly, it’s absolutely true. Taking time to prepare an in-depth plan will help to keep everyone involved in the design, build and installation process on the same page, and help to avoid any future problems from occurring.

Design

Designing pipelines isn’t as easy as drawing a cylinder and hoping for the best. Time has to be taken to ensure that the design is airtight (literally) and that the pipelines will fit around the architecture of the building that they will be supplying with gas. Using CAD technology can help to minimize human error, as well as speeding up the design process significantly.

Installation

Provided that the last two steps have been fully completed, installation can usually take place without any major hiccups. The only important point to consider at this stage is whether you want workers or machines to carry out the welding work for you. Orbital welding is a popular process that relies on machine precision to do the hard work, which helps to minimize the chance of any human error.

Ongoing maintenance

It’d be nice if we could just dust our hands off once all of the above steps have been completed, but ongoing maintenance is a key part of ensuring the health of the pipeline. Degreasing, the process of removing residual oils and other contaminants, can help to maintain the performance of the pipes, as well as helping to avoid any spontaneous combustion in the presence of oxygen.

The need for safe pipelines is especially important when you consider the fact that many of the buildings that rely on a regular supply of gas, such as hospitals, would be seriously affected by any malfunctions or problems with the pipeline systems.

This is an Industry Insider post by Sam Williamson. Mr. Williamson works for Hospital Pipeline Installations. You can learn more about his company at http://www.hpil.co.uk/. If you’re interested in becoming an Industry Insider and contributing to our blog, please get in touch with us at bhanley(AT)eiffeltradingcompany(DOT)com.