Pipeline Integrity Management Services
Pipeline integrity is a quality standard that assesses the current and projected condition of a pipeline system, as well as recognizes the presence and degree of component damage in the pipeline. A pipeline with high integrity is in pristine working condition.
Our Services
Altamira offers pipeline integrity management services to businesses in the energy industry. Partner with us for comprehensive integrity management consultation, support and technology.
Our pipeline integrity management services include:
- Development of pipeline integrity management programs
- Identification of life-cycle pipeline integrity threats
- Evaluation of high consequence areas (HCAs)
- Pipeline quantitative risk assessments
- Pipeline integrity assessments
- In-line inspection and pressure test report reviews
- Engineering critical assessments
- Development of pipeline integrity management plans
- Pipeline integrity compliance auditing services
For more details, download our brochure.
Why Is Pipeline Integrity Important?
Maintaining a high level of integrity throughout the pipeline lifecycle is an important part of preventing damage, leaks and releases. High-integrity pipes are clean, structurally sound, and unlikely to leak. Pipeline integrity has several safety and legal ramifications.
Safety
When a pipe carrying crude oil or natural gas experiences a leak or rupture, the gas or crude oil is likely to combust and cause a dangerous explosion. The blast would damage equipment and threaten human life nearby.
Leaking toxic gases and liquids into the environment causes harm, as well. Maintaining pipeline integrity protects people’s lives, the company’s pipeline equipment and the environment.
Legal Reasons
There are laws in place that regulate pipeline safety, particularly the Gas Transmission Integrity Management (GT IM) Rule. This rule, which is a response to the Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 2002 (PSIA-2002), lays out pipeline integrity maintenance requirements for pipelines that run through High Consequence Areas (HCAs). An HCA is a location where the damage caused by a leak for failure would be significant.
Natural gas and oil companies must write and implement a pipeline integrity management (IM) plan to comply with the GT IM Rule. Failure to institute a compliant IM strategy could result in a financial penalty.
Public Confidence
Public safety coincides with public confidence — one of the GT IM Rule’s top objectives. The commodities flowing through pipelines are essential to communities nationwide. Customers, especially those living or working near the pipeline, should trust the pipeline operator’s ability to deliver critical commodities and maintain public safety. Prioritizing transparency and pipeline integrity builds public confidence.
Business Objectives
Safety comes with the benefit of efficiency. Implementing pipeline IM measures prevent damages or commodity release that could create a service lapse. Prevention also helps businesses avoid the costs associated with mitigating and cleaning a leak site. Ultimately, pipeline IM planning helps pipeline operators meet their responsibilities to their customers while maintaining profitability.

Due Diligence and Asset
Transaction Support
Altamira has a long history of supporting buyers, sellers, developers, and operators in mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and internal asset valuations (read more)
What Is Pipeline Integrity Management?
Pipeline integrity management is the process an operator uses to maintain the pipeline’s condition. Operators must implement IM plans that include prevention, detection and response measures. Operators must also regularly review their IM strategies and performance to find areas for improvement. Operators should document their pipeline IM plan and any changes to it.
Prevention Methods
An IM plan must feature disaster prevention measures. Operators can prevent leaks and failure by assessing pipeline integrity at critical locations.
IM plans feature procedures for identifying HCAs and assessing the pipeline equipment that passes through them. Pipeline assessments inspect the entire pipeline for structural alterations or wear and tear that could lead to a leak or failure in an HCA. Pipeline employees should receive training to understand and apply the integrity assessment strategy.
Leak and failure prevention methods also encompass pipeline operation. Pipeline operators must establish and follow policies for safe pipeline pressure and flow limits. Assessments should verify that operators follow operation procedures or determine necessary corrections.
Monitoring and Detection Methods
Leak and failure detection are crucial to an IM strategy. Operators must maintain pipeline monitoring policies and procedures that prioritize detection speed and accuracy. IM strategies detail the internal and external pipeline monitoring processes an operator will enact.
Internal pipe monitoring is possible through the use of computational pipeline monitoring (CPM) systems. A CPM system can monitor line balance, fluid dynamic characteristics, pressure and flow, commodity release statistical probability or negative pressure waves.
External pipeline monitoring involves the use of sensors, imaging technology and manual patrol.
- Sensors monitor qualities like temperature and acoustics to detect changes that indicate commodity release.
- Imaging tools such as cameras and thermal imaging devices connect within a geographic information system (GIS) to provide a detailed view of the pipeline for commodity release detection.
- Patrol-based detection relies on manual detection from human personnel.
Mitigation Plans
A mitigation plan is an IM strategy’s response to a commodity leak or release incident. The mitigation plan aims to limit the extent of the leak and protect nearby people, property and the environment. Accomplishing the mitigation plan’s goals requires coordination between the pipeline operators, emergency response teams and the third-party individuals or agencies whose property the incident impacts. There are three steps to a mitigation plan:
- Locate the release
- Mitigate immediate damage
- Clean the release site
Our Custom Pipeline Integrity Management Plans
Altamira offers pipeline integrity services that help operators maintain safety and efficiency. Our services range from pipeline IM consulting and strategy to technical support and digital tool implementation.
We offer turnkey pipeline integrity solutions that can save your business time and money. We customize each service to meet each client’s distinct needs.
With over 30 years of experience and engineering licenses in over 20 states, Altamira is among the industry’s top pipeline integrity companies.
Contact Altamira for Pipeline Integrity Management Assistance
Our experienced consultants and engineers are ready to tailor a pipeline integrity management solution for your circumstance — contact us online for more information.