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Pipeline Research Council International
The Role of Research in Pipeline Safety
Improving Pipeline Safety through Collaborative Research and Innovation
Texas Railroad CommissionPipeline Safety ConferenceAugust 20-21, 2019 | Austin, TX
Mark Piazza, Pipeline Compliance and R&DColonial Pipeline Company
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Opening Statements
▪ Pipeline safety programs are robust and continue to mature
and evolve as lessons are learned and continuous
improvement practices are applied
▪ All actions involve risk… no action or operation is risk-free
▪Zero is a Goal
▪6σ
▪ The pipeline industry discovers and repairs far more
injurious conditions than those that lead to failure and loss
of containment...
▪ …but there is a recognition that we need to improve
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▪ >400,000 miles of pipeline infrastructure (transmission); ~60% pre-1970 construction
▪ Mixed rural, suburban, urban; onshore + offshore
▪ Diversified approaches needed for ensuring pipeline safety and efficient operations
US Natural Gas PipelinesUS Petroleum Pipelines
Current State of the Industry
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▪Evolution & Growth of Pipeline Infrastructure▪ Global energy supply and demand at an all time high and continuing to
expand – reliability, security needs increasing
▪ Shale Gas, Oil Sands, frontier/remote areas, deep water
▪ New infrastructure and transportation modes for new energy sources and
exports – natural gas, LNG, petroleum
▪Government Oversight and Public Accountability▪ Error-free, leak-free operations
▪ Pipelines are now political – greater public awareness
▪ Demands for transparency and access to information
▪How does the industry meet the demands?
Current State of the Industry
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Established in 1952…
Established as a
committee in the
American Gas
Association to Solve
Long-running Brittle
Fractures
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PRCI Membership
▪Operative Term: Collaboration
▪Worldwide Research Organization▪ 45 North American Companies (U.S. & Canada)
▪ 23 Non-North American (Australia, China, Europe, Middle East, India,
Japan, South America)
▪33 Energy Pipeline Operating Companies▪ 15 Natural Gas Transmission; 9 Liquid Transmission
▪ 9 Combination Liquid/Natural Gas Transmission
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PRCI Membership
▪4 Pipeline Industry Organization (PIO) Members▪ American Petroleum Institute (API)
▪ Association of Oil Pipe Lines (AOPL)
▪ Canadian Energy Pipeline Association (CEPA)
▪ Operations Technology Development (OTD)
▪31 Associate & Technical Program Associate Members▪ Equipment & Tool Manufacturers; Service Providers
▪ Australia, Canada, China, Europe, Japan, U.S.
▪Annual Research Funding of ~$10 MM
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PRCI Technology Development Center
PRCI TDC – brings it all together
- Access to many real-world features
- State-of-the-Art pull test facility
- CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
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Relevant Recent R&D Results
▪Material Properties Verification Using NDE
Technologies and Techniques
▪Dent Fatigue Research
▪Industry Reference Standards for NDE
Inspection Technology Evaluation and
Development
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Material Properties Verification
▪Direct tie to Gas Mega-Rule and PHMSA
Advisory Bulletins on Traceable, Verifiable, and
Complete records for pre-regulation pipelines
▪YS and toughness
▪Pipe and facilities – fittings, valves, tees, and
other non-pipe components
▪Round-robin study using resources and
materials available at PRCI TDC in Houston, TX
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Hydrotest Cut-outsNondestructive
Testing (NDE)In-Line Inspection
Service interruption
and only partial
information
No service
interruption, but
requires repair Less invasive and
validated
Identifies similar pipeline
materials to map NDE data
for pipe system
Innovative | Affordable | Effective
+
Material Properties Verification (2)
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0
5
10
15
20
Ob
se
rva
tio
ns
Diameter [in]
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10
20
30
40
Ob
se
rva
tio
ns
Thickness [in]
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1015202530
B X42 X46 X52 UnkOb
se
rva
tio
ns
Grade
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10152025
Ob
se
rva
tio
ns
Seam
Material Properties Verification (3)
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API Selected YS Comparison*
Methodology
Mean Abs Percentage
Error (MAPE)StdevMAPE R2 R Regression Slope
% Data w/ Errless +/- 10%
% Data w/ Errless +/- 15%
% Data w/ Errless +/- 20%
Technique 1 8.7% 5.9% 0.613 0.783 1.155 66.0% 82.0% 96.0%
Technique 2 8.4% 6.3% 0.579 0.761 1.112 68.0% 80.0% 94.0%
Technique 3 7.6% 7.3% 0.630 0.794 0.822 71.4% 87.8% 93.9%
Technique 4 7.0% 7.3% 0.704 0.839 0.932 78.0% 92.0% 98.0%
Technique 5 12.9% 12.5% 0.160 0.447 0.445 56.0% 62.0% 76.0%
Material Properties Verification (4)
Depth < 0.002 inches
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Objectives/Goals:▪ RP on assessment &
management of dents
▪ Improved understanding of dent fatigue processes and mechanisms to develop appropriate inspection and response/repair programs
▪ Guidelines for adjusting operations to reduce cyclic fatigue on system
▪ Engage PHMSA in accepting performance-based engineering analysis as an alternative to dent depth criteria
0
40000
80000
120000
160000
200000
0% 2% 4% 6% 8% 10% 12%
Fati
gu
e L
ife
(Cycl
es)
Dent Depth (%OD)
Plain Dent Modern Restrained
Plain Dent Modern Unrestrained
Plain Dent Vintage Restrained
Plain Dent Vintage Unrestrained
Unrestrained Dents
Restrained Dents
Dent Assessment & Management
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▪Not dent depth, dent shape
▪Dent Shape Parameter and restraint condition
▪ ILI specifications for dent shape – L1, L2, L3
▪Effects of cyclic loading
▪API Recommended Practice RP 1183
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10
20
30
40
50
60
70
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Res
trai
nt
Para
met
er (
dim
ensi
on
less
)
Dent Depth (%OD)
Area Based Restraint Parameter
Restrained Dents Unrestrained Dents Ref. Line
Unrestrained
Restrained
Restraint parameter from ILI data can
identify Restrained and Unrestrained
dents. Dent restraint condition affects
dent strain and fatigue life
Dent Assessment & Management (3)
Thickness
Dia.
Distances
from Dent Peak
Dmax
95% Dmax 50% Dmax
25% Dmax 10% Dmax
𝑳𝟏𝟎%𝑨𝑿
𝑳𝟐𝟓%𝑨𝑿
𝑳𝟓𝟎%𝑨𝑿
𝑳𝟗𝟓%𝑨𝑿
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Dent fatigue - Effects of Pressure Cycling▪Number of cycles and magnitude of cycling loading influence
dent fatigue failure
▪Cyclic loading measured using two methods (from SCADA):
▪Spectrum Severity Indicators (SSIs)
▪Quarter Yield Equivalent Cycles (QYECs)
▪Pressure attenuation – discharge vs. suction
▪ Liquids operations vs natural gas
▪Pressure cycling not referenced in regulations▪ PHMSA Proposed Final Rule
for liquids pipelines (49CFR Part 195)
▪ Advisory Bulletin
for natural gas lines (ADB 2016-0131)
Dent Assessment & Management (4)
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Full-scale test equipment for dent
fatigue &mechanical damage
research
Dent Assessment & Management (5)
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Dent Assessment & Management (6)
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• Research provides insight
for ILI data analysis and in-
ditch NDE inspection
• Research also being
conducted on ILI
performance for dents and
dents + coincident features
(corrosion metal loss,
gouges, cracks, welds)
Dent Assessment & Management (7)
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▪ PRCI MD 4-13/RP 1183; revised MD criteria based on PRCI research
▪ Exit ramps – dents “immune” from fatigue failure; low SSI, plain dents
▪ IPC2016-64486 – gas pipelines exit ramp
▪ NTSB recommendation (PAB 17-01) promotes performance-based
response criteria; consistent with industry goal
De
nt
Sh
ap
e F
ac
tor
Pressure Spectrum Severity
Dents with benign shape
Benign
pressure
spectrum
Dent and Operating conditions
with lives < 100 years
Dent Assessment & Management (7)
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NDE Technology Evaluation
Machined
Calibration
Standards….
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….vs. The
Real World
NDE Technology Evaluation (2)
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NDE Technology Evaluation (3)
The “truth” data requires destructive
testing – loss of reference standards
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NDE Truth – Driving New Technology
▪ Ultimate Crack Truth by
metallographic section
▪ Role of Computed Tomography?
▪ Precisely identify the locations for
metallographic sections based on CT profile
data
▪ Recognizing the TRL for on-shore full-pipe CT
▪ Ongoing evaluation by PRCI – reference
standards and ILI/NDE technology
development
▪ ASNT and API NDE Competency Evaluations
and Certifications
NDE Technology Evaluation (4)
Prototype Full-scale CT Scanner
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NDE Technology Evaluation
▪ Lab-scale CT scanning following prototype inspection
▪ Samples selected based on multiple ILI and NDE data sets
▪ Over 550 metallographic sections from 27 samples
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NDE Technology Evaluation
Metallographic sectioning data
was used to construct models of
seam anomaly features
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NDE Technology Evaluation
▪ Small-scale (lab) system performed
well and shows promise of CT for
industry reference standards
▪ Full-scale system – opportunity but
improvement needed
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Other Items of Interest
▪PHMSA R&D Program and 2019 Research
Announcement
▪PRCI New Research Funding Model
▪PRCI Research Exchange Meeting – March
2020, San Diego, CA
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Questions
▪ What is a sufficient annual funding level for pipeline R&D?
▪ What role should the government play in funding R&D?
▪ What is the value of changing the public perception?
▪ How do we better integrate cross-over technologies?
▪ Inspection technology has improved defect definition capability
compared to 20+ years ago but where do we go from here?
▪Push limits of current technology – blood from a stone?
▪New technologies – costs, timing
▪Higher funding, bigger programs, significant impact
▪ Perception – How does the industry more effectively communicate its
message? Advocate virtues and benefits of industry?