Oil & Gas Pipeline Safety

Exponent provides services related to oil and gas pipelines in the areas of Engineering Management, Engineering, Environmental, and Health Consulting. Our multi-disciplinary staff of engineers, architects, scientists, and technical specialists provides these services to both the public and private sectors. From a risk management perspective, our experience in analyzing thousands of failures, using both traditional and situation-specific innovative methods, enables us to aid our clients in minimizing health and safety risks, business interruption, and bottom-line financial losses due to accidents and system failure.

We offer a broad range of expertise in regard to pipeline integrity management. Our change management services help clients improve business-unit performance and productivity through application of proven organization and process assessment, development, and implementation techniques. Our technical consultants have extensive experience developing and implementing quality management systems across many industries. We have successfully developed quality programs in compliance with various industry standards and regulations. Exponent has worked closely with clients to rapidly respond to corrective action requests issued by regulatory agencies, including the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA).

Services

Engineering Management

Exponent provides engineering management services to our clients to identify and achieve opportunities for business process improvement. Exponent’s staff has experience and expertise to assist its clients in assessing the need for improvement, performing root cause analysis of business process breakdowns, and developing the implementation strategy to meet these improvement goals. Our team also assists in on-site implementation to ensure that identified improvements are achieved. Exponent is able to provide a diverse team of consultants to ensure that all aspects of a process are effectively addressed. Our services include: risk management, quality management, change management and regulatory compliance.

Risk Management

Root-Cause Analysis
Project Risk Assessment and Mitigation Planning
Preliminary Hazard or Risk Analysis (PHA/PRA)
Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA)
Business Interruption Analysis and Mitigation

Quality Management

Quality Management System Development
Quality Program Assessments
Incident / Safety-Related Condition Trending
Pipeline Inspection Program Development / Review

Change Management

Organizational Assessments
Configuration Management
Methodology for Collection, Validation, and Integration of Data and Documentation
Business Process/Performance Improvement

Regulatory Compliance

Pipeline Integrity Management Program Development
Compliance Assessments / Audits
Regulatory Requirements Compliance
Response to PHMSA Requests / Corrective Action

Engineering Services

Exponent engineering services are provided to both assist clients in the prevention of failures and in evaluating the root cause of failures. Exponent has developed a rigorous model for failure analysis and prevention and utilizes this process to solve difficult technical and business problems and to define corrective measures.

Our engineering services include the following areas of expertise:

Corrosion Science and Engineering
Thermal Sciences (Fire and Explosion Analysis)
Mechanical Engineering
Geotechnical Engineering and Hydrology
Structural Engineering
Construction Consulting
Accident Investigation
Materials Analysis
System Failure Analysis
Electrical Engineering
Pipeline Integrity

Environmental Consulting

Exponent scientists have extensive practical project experience in designing programs, providing and interpreting data, and reviewing the documents and related information required to answer our clients’ environmental questions. The project experience of Exponent scientists has included work on oil spills, chemical contaminant forensics (petroleum hydrocarbons, metals, hydrogeology transport-and-fate modeling), and cost allocation. Our services include:

Environmental Forensics
Spill, Transport, and Fate Analysis
Ecological Effects / Risk Assessment
Human Health Exposure
Natural Resource Damage Assessment
Site Investigation and Remediation Consulting

Testing and Analysis

Exponent has developed and implemented test programs for monitoring and modeling the performance of various components in real time under a range of conditions. This includes determining thermal hot spots, temperature rise and distribution analysis and modeling. Our staff has the experience and capability to perform a wide range of tests on devices such as motors, relays and instrumentation to evaluate the electrical and thermal management systems performance under predetermined thermal, electrical and environmental stress conditions.

A list of sample tests that we routinely perform includes: