Component Software for the Pipeline Industry

HCACalculator™

HCACalculator™ assists pipeline operators in meeting regulatory compliance, enabling rapid and accurate classification of high consequence areas (HCAs) along gas transmission pipelines. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Pipeline Safety rule, operators are required to incorporate HCAs into their pipeline integrity management planning.

Under the rule (U.S. DOT 49 CFR 192 Subpart O), operators must verify that they can obtain accurate information on areas that meet HCA classification, including areas with concentrated populations and facilities with difficult-to-evacuate populations. Used in conjunction with existing data sets, HCACalculator™ enables operators to locate potential HCAs, identify segments of pipe, and calculate affected zones. This information is critical to assessing pipeline safety, determining risk, and prioritizing inspection, prevention, mitigation, and maintenance activities.

Flexible Architecture
A Microsoft Windows application that uses COM and ActiveX technologies, HCACalculator™ is designed to work as an integral part of an enterprise GIS or as a standalone application linked to a database. The application is also user configurable to reflect company-specific implementation requirements and interpretations. HCA analysis with HCACalculator™ is based on the CFER equation with structure-count thresholds and the calculation of the potential impact zone, both of which the user can set for the extended zone along the length of the pipe centerline.

HCACalculator™ is built to be configured to work on a variety of GIS data models, including customized ISAT and PODS data models. Depending on an operator's current system configuration and user base, the application can be integrated with GIS or used as a standalone. Sewall can help decide which is the best fit for a particular organization. Sewall also offers operators assistance in acquiring and assessing existing data sets for use in HCA determination.

To obtain more information on Sewall's HCACalculator™, please contact Clarence Young, Project Manager, James W. Sewall Company, at (800) 648-4202; Email: youc@jws.com

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