The bilateral initiative Pipelife promotes collaboration between IST-ID, SINTEF, EQUINOR and the University of Stavanger, for the creation of a universal framework for pipeline risk-based maintenance.
This bilateral initiative has two main objectives:
- to improve energy security by reducing the risks of pipeline failure through the adoption of risk-based maintenance policies;
- and to propose a general framework, adaptable to the transformation of the global energy system, that can be applied in the future to predict the degradation pattern and maintenance needs of hydrogen pipelines (promoting sustainable energy development).
This initiative promotes international technological collaboration that is expected to have a significant impact on the definition of innovative models in the field of security, efficiency and sustainability of energy supply (Goals 7, 12 and 13, UN Agenda 2030).
The bilateral PIPELIFE initiative promotes a more comprehensive condition assessment model, and a risk-based maintenance model will be developed that allows pipeline operators to take the necessary measures to prevent future failures that can cause catastrophic environmental damage as well as economic losses due to distribution interruption.