Study on Effect of Valve Operation on Transient Flow in Natural Gas Pipelines

Managing the threat of Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC) in natural gas pipelines continues to be an area of focus for many operating companies with potentially susceptible pipelines. This paper describes the validation process of the high-resolution Electro-Magnetic Acoustical Transducer (EMAT) In-Line Inspection (ILI) technology for detection of SCC prior to scheduled pressure tests of inspected line pipe valve sections. The validation of the EMAT technology covered the application of high-resolution EMAT ILI and determining the Probability Of Detection (POD) and Identification (POI). The ILI verification process is in accordance to a API 1163 Level 3 validation. It is described in detail for 30″ and 36″ pipeline segments. Both segments are known to have an SCC history. Correlation of EMAT ILI calls to manual non-destructive measurements and destructively tested SCC samples lead to a comprehensive understanding of the capabilities of the EMAT technology and the associated process for managing the SCC threat. Based on the data gathered, the dimensional tool tolerances in terms of length and depth are derived.

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Comparison of PIR to PIPESAFE-Based 1% Lethality Zones for Natural Gas Pipelines

Volume 3: Materials and Joining; Risk and Reliability ◽

10.1115/ipc2014-33477 ◽

2014 ◽

Author(s):

Aleksandar Tomic ◽

Shahani Kariyawasam

Keyword(s):

Natural Gas ◽

Small Diameter ◽

Gas Pipeline ◽

Accurate Estimation ◽

Simple Relationship ◽

Gas Pipelines ◽

Friction Forces ◽

Natural Gas Pipelines ◽

Decay Factor ◽

Outflow Rate

A lethality zone due to an ignited natural gas release is often used to characterize the consequences of a pipeline rupture. A 1% lethality zone defines a zone where the lethality to a human is greater than or equal to 1%. The boundary of the zone is defined by the distance (from the point of rupture) at which the probability of lethality is 1%. Currently in the gas pipeline industry, the most detailed and validated method for calculating this zone is embodied in the PIPESAFE software. PIPESAFE is a software tool developed by a joint industry group for undertaking quantitative risk assessments of natural gas pipelines. PIPESAFE consequence models have been verified in laboratory experiments, full scale tests, and actual failures, and have been extensively used over the past 10–15 years for quantitative risk calculations. The primary advantage of using PIPESAFE is it allows for accurate estimation of the likelihood of lethality inside the impacted zone (i.e. receptors such as structures closer to the failure are subject to appropriately higher lethality percentages). Potential Impact Radius (PIR) is defined as the zone in which the extent of property damage and serious or fatal injury would be expected to be significant. It corresponds to the 1% lethality zone for a natural gas pipeline of a certain diameter and pressure when thermal radiation and exposure are taken into account. PIR is one of the two methods used to identify HCAs in US (49 CFR 192.903). Since PIR is a widely used parameter and given that it can be interpreted to delineate a 1% lethality zone, it is important to understand how PIR compares to the more accurate estimation of the lethality zones for different diameters and operating pressures. In previous internal studies, it was found that PIR, when compared to the more detailed measures of the 1% lethality zone, could be highly conservative. This conservatism could be beneficial from a safety perspective, however it is adding additional costs and reducing the efficiency of the integrity management process. Therefore, the goal of this study is to determine when PIR is overly conservative and to determine a way to address this conservatism. In order to assess its accuracy, PIR was compared to a more accurate measure of the 1% lethality zone, calculated by PIPESAFE, for a range of different operating pressures and line diameters. Upon comparison of the distances calculated through the application of PIR and PIPESAFE, it was observed that for large diameters pipelines the distances calculated by PIR are slightly conservative, and that this conservativeness increases exponentially for smaller diameter lines. The explanation for the conservatism of the PIR for small diameter pipelines is the higher wall friction forces per volume transported in smaller diameter lines. When these higher friction forces are not accounted for it leads to overestimation of the effective outflow rate (a product of the initial flow rate and the decay factor) which subsequently leads to the overestimation of the impact radius. Since the effective outflow rate is a function of both line pressure and diameter, a simple relationship is proposed to make the decay factor a function of these two variables to correct the excess conservatism for small diameter pipelines.

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Identification and Mitigation of a Landslide Threatening Four Operating Natural Gas Pipelines

Volume 3: Operations, Monitoring, and Maintenance; Materials and Joining ◽

10.1115/ipc2020-9743 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Amir Ahmadipur ◽

Alexander McKenzie-Johnson ◽

Ali Ebrahimi ◽

Anthony H. Rice

Keyword(s):

Natural Gas ◽

Landslide Hazard ◽

Management Process ◽

Gas Pipelines ◽

Hazard Management ◽

Natural Gas Pipelines ◽

South Central ◽

Subsurface Investigation ◽

Landslide Stabilization

Abstract This paper presents a case study of a landslide with the potential to affect four operating high-pressure natural gas pipelines located in the south-central US state of Mississippi. This case study follows a landslide hazard management process: beginning with landslide identification, through pipeline monitoring using strain gauges with an automated early alert system, to detection of landslide movement and its effects on the pipeline, completion of a geotechnical subsurface investigation, conceptual geotechnical mitigation planning, landslide stabilization design and construction, and stress relief excavation. Each step of the landslide hazard management process is described in this case study.

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New Leak Location Approaches for Gas Pipelines Using Acoustic Waves

Volume 3: Operations, Monitoring, and Maintenance; Materials and Joining ◽

10.1115/ipc2018-78327 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Cuiwei Liu ◽

Yuxing Li ◽

Qihui Hu ◽

Wuchang Wang ◽

Yazhen Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Natural Gas ◽

Acoustic Waves ◽

Economic Loss ◽

Transportation Systems ◽

Gas Pipelines ◽

Natural Gas Pipelines ◽

New Methods ◽

Leak Location ◽

Localization Errors ◽

Leak Localization

Natural gas is a vital energy carrier which can serve as an energy source, which is extremely vulnerable to leakages from pipeline transportation systems. The required ignition energy is low. Although the safety of natural gas pipelines has been improved, the average economic loss of natural gas accidents, including leaks, is large. To solve these problems, an acoustic leak localization system is designed and researched for gas pipelines using experiments with methods proposed according to different application situations. The traditional method with two sensors installed at both ends can be improved by a newly proposed combined signal-processing method, which is applied for the case that it is necessary to calculate the time differences with data synchronicity. When the time differences cannot be calculated accurately, a new method based on the amplitude attenuation model is proposed. Using these methods, the system can be applied to most situations. Next, an experimental facility at the laboratory scale is established, and experiments are carried out. Finally, the methods are verified and applied for leak localization. The results show that this research can provide a foundation for the proposed methods. The maximum experimental leak localization errors for the methods are −0.592%, and −7.62%. It is concluded that the system with the new methods can be applied to protect and monitor natural gas pipelines.

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