Maximum Allowable Operating Pressure (MAOP) is the highest pressure at which a pipeline may be safely operated, established based on pipe material grade, wall thickness, diameter, design factor, and applicable safety standards.

Maximum Allowable Operating Pressure (MAOP) is the highest pressure at which a pipeline may be safely operated, established based on pipe material grade, wall thickness, diameter, design factor, and applicable safety standards (ASME B31.4, B31.8, 49 CFR 192). MAOP is the cornerstone of pipeline safety regulation and integrity management.

MAOP validation requires accurate pipeline data — including wall thickness, material properties, and defect information. When defects such as corrosion reduce wall thickness, the safe operating pressure may need to be recalculated using methods like ASME B31G or RSTRENG (Modified B31G).

Accurate inspection data is therefore critical for MAOP compliance. EMPIT’s CMI technology provides high-resolution corrosion data for buried pipelines — including wall loss assessment and defect classification — enabling operators to validate MAOP without excavation. For unpiggable pipelines lacking ILI data, CMI fills a critical gap in MAOP verification programs.