Data-driven approaches are gaining momentum in the pipeline industry. Proactive pipeline maintenance requires the collection and management of data from cleaning programs for future use.

This paper illustrates an approach which allows pipeline operators the opportunity to build up a database of information on their assets from standard cleaning runs. Intelligent Gauge Plates and Pipeline Data Loggers (PDLs) can also be integrated in the tool’s setup for more comprehensive analysis. A wide range of analytics can be brought to bear upon these databases. The resulting knowledge of the pipeline conditions offers a greater degree of confidence that a line is ready for further in-line inspection, ultimately increasing first-run success rates while reducing risk.