011346 Pipeline Safety

Over forty years of extensive and comprehensive experience in pipeline safety: in engineering, design, materials, operations, inspections, risk, integrity, and safety management, to the operations and engineering sectors of the energy industry. Provides technical assessments that assist clients in achieving comprehensive and timely regulatory approvals. As an active ASME committee executive member, he improves the international standards for the design and integrity management of energy pipelines, including those API & NACE standards related to integrity assessment. In prior years, was a tenured professor – TUNS, Director of Technology – Welding Institute of Canada, Project R&D Manager – PRCI, GTI & GRI, Senior Engineer – TCPL, and an R&D engineer – DOFASCO.

A dual Canadian and US citizen.

Education and Certifications Background

• B Eng. – Metallurgical McMaster University Hamilton, Ontario
• M A Sc. Materials Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario
• PhD, Metallurgy, Technical University of Nova Scotia Halifax Nova Scotia

Professional Experience

Areas of Expertise:

• Pipeline Design, Integrity, Welding, and Operations,
  • Material Performance
  • Integrity Assessments and Integrity Assessment Intervals
  • Prescriptive, Life Cycle and Reliability Based Designs
• Education and Technology Transfer,
  • Threat Assessments and Mitigation
  • Inspection Techniques
  • Failure Analyses and Root Cause
  • Pipeline Repair Systems
• Pre-audit and Review of Integrity Management Plans
  • US Regulatory Affairs
  • Integrity and Safety Management Systems
  • Technology Assessments and Reviews of R&D
• Subject Matter Expert – Risk Assessment – Helping a large pipeline operator in India improve their risk assessment methodologies.

• Safety Management Systems – Currently acts as a Subject Matter Expert for the Monitor, who was appointed by the US Federal Department of Justice in California to evaluate the improving safety of PG&E from 2017 to 2022. Was the facilitator for the Canadian National Energy Board Workshop on Pipeline Fittings June 2017 in Calgary. Safety Management Systems were recently added to CSA Z662 in mandatory Section 3 from the previously non-mandatory annex A. Is a technical member and contributor of the CSA Z662-2023 Annex B Risk Management Task Force who have developed new draft language currently out for review. Key contributor to ASME B31.8 having developed draft language for: quality control requirements, mandatory records to be retained for the life of the pipeline asset, and for ASME B31.8S, competency of those conducting a pipeline integrity activity , improvements to the assessment of geotechnical and hydrotechnical threats, repair welding, valve spacing, fracture control and arrest, reassessment intervals, and basic risk (BR) framework to improve the likelihood of failure which includes assessment of leak/rupture.

• Quality Management Systems – Was a key member of the team that reviewed the records of the pretested pipe and flanges, which were kept in storage across the system for emergencies. The review was to ensure the records followed regulations and the quality management showed them as properly prequalified for a future audit. The team identified fittings and pipe with incomplete records and suggestions were provided to ensure these components will meet compliance. This allowed the operator to plan activities such as contract testing or inspection to ensure the records were complete, validated and ready for installation.

• Regional Citizens Awareness Council – Primary reviewer of the inspectability of a Marine Terminal or facilities that expected to adapt In-Line Inspection technology and improve their corrosion management practices. Lead the team that conducted the onsite visit, interviewed the owner, and reviewed limited documentation. The client better understands design constraints in the facility and the inspection technologies being used to maintain facility integrity. The client can encourage the operator to meet timeline targets while maintaining their good loss of confinement performance. The local pipeline operator was pleased with the presentation of their facility and resulting public discussion. http://www.pwsrcac.org/resources/reports/documents/terminal-operations/

Membership and Professional Activities

• Unpiggable Pipeline Solutions Forum, Chair Non-traditional approaches for the internal inspection of any pipeline, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 Clarion Technical Conferences.
• Pipeline Open Data Standard (PODS) -2009 Ten Years of Service retiring Board Member.
• Common Ground Alliance (CGA)2009, Recognition of Contributions to the Original Common Ground Study
• Best Integrity Paper – Conference, IPC2008- 64403, Oct/2008
• Excellence in Development of ASME B31.8S-2001 from ASME Council on Codes and Standards, 2005
• Distinguished Service Award from PRCI Board of Directors, 2004
• Registered Professional Engineer in Alberta and APEGA Permit to Practice Holder #13383 as Leewis and Associates Inc.
• Retired Professional Engineer in Ontario
• Retired Professional Engineer in Nova Scotia
• ASME – Executive member of the following standards, ASME B31.8 Design of Natural Gas Pipelines & B31.8S Gas Pipeline Integrity, & Editorial Chair, member Joint B31.4 & B31.8 executive
• API – past member of API RP-1163 In-line Inspection Systems Qualification Standard, & ASNT In-Line Inspection Personnel Qualification and Certification Standard (ASNT ILI-PQ-2016)
• CSA Z662 Member Risk Assessment Task Force 20017 – 2023
• NACE helped write: NACE SP 0502 ECDA NACE SP 0206 Dry Gas ICDA NACE SP 0204 SCC DA NACE SP 0102 ILI NACE SP 0210 CDA for P/L NACE SP 0110 Wet Gas ICDA NACE SP-0213 Guided Wave Ultrasonic Testing Standard
• PHMSA Risk Assessment Quality Action Committee 2016 to 2019.
• Recent Publications
  • Block Valve Operations and PIR Considerations – Paper 133, Pipeline Pigging and Integrity Management Feb 8-9, 2023, Houton TX.
  • Review the Intent and Safety Impact of Hoop Stress and Percentage of Specified Minimum Yield Stress Boundaries on Natural Gas Transmission and Distribution Pipelines. Daniel Ersoy, Keith Leewis, Jason Skow, Khalid Farrag, FINAL REPORT, GTI PROJECT NUMBERS 22645 / 22667, OTD PROJECT NUMBER 4.20.a, DOT WP#785, DOT/PHMSA CONTRACT NUMBER: 693JK31910001POTA, project 845, March31, 2021 https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/matrix/PrjHome.rdm?prj=845
  • IPC 2020-9303 FULL ENCIRCLEMENT ENGINEERED LAMINATED STEEL SLEEVE SYSTEM FOR REPAIRS AND AUGMENTATION OF PIPELINES, S Laughlin, K Leewis, C Alexander, Proceeding of the 2020 13th International Pipeline Conference IPC2020, September 28, Oct 1, 2020, Alberta, Canada
  • My Historical North American Perspective on Pipeline Risk K Leewis, 6th China International Pipeline Conference, Lang fang, China, Oct2017
  • IPC2016-64503 Long Term (1970 to 2015) Trending of the Nine Prescriptive Pipeline Threats, Chen, Williams Barnum & Leewis Proceeding of the 2016 11th International Pipeline Conference IPC2016, September 26-30, 2016, Alberta, Canada
  • IPC2016-64518 Analysis of Pressure Test Failure Performance for Vintage Pipe Chen Williams Aguiar & Leewis, Proceeding of the 2016 11th International Pipeline Conference, IPC2016, September 26-30, 2016, Alberta, Canada
  • PRCI PR-302-133606 Improving the Performance of the External Corrosion Direct Assessment (ECDA) Methodology J Zurcher, K Leewis and A Eastman, May 2016, Pipeline Research Council international www.prci.org
  • Oil and Gas Pipelines: Integrity and Safety Handbook, R. Winston Revie, Editor: authored chapter Integrity Management of Pipeline Facilities –Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey, due 12/2014.