Control of Internal Pipeline Corrosion Based Upon an Evaluation of Risk: A Case for Change

Author(s):  
David J. Richardson

Pipeline failures attributed to internal corrosion are increasing throughout the oil and gas producing industry(1) suggesting that commonly accepted practices continue to allow failures to occur. The article describes a “Maintenance Management System” for prevention of internal corrosion of pipelines that provides advances compared with conventional management strategies. The “System” recognizes and addresses root-cause issues that contribute to internal pipeline damage and failures. It provides a genuine improvement in pipeline confidence to the Management of operating companies, and the Regulatory bodies. The “System” combines pipeline hydraulic simulation technology with corrosion engineering science to assess the severity of the operational hazards within each pipeline segment. Besides providing a numerical ranking of the operational risk, the “System” generates a maintenance schedule appropriate to the assessment. What is more important, the day-to-day schedule is updated immediately upon any change in the corrosion hazard profile. By means of a Case Study, the article demonstrates how, in our opinion, improvements in both information management, and scheduling of maintenance activities can narrow the scope of investigative projects, while at the same time provide enhanced confidence in pipeline integrity.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henry Freedom Ifowodo ◽  
Chinedum Ogonna Mgbemena ◽  
Christopher Okechukwu Izelu

Abstract Pipeline leak or failure is a dreaded event in the oil and gas industries. Top events such as catastrophes and multiple fatalities have occurred in the past due to pipeline leak or failure especially when loss of contents was met with fire incidents. It is therefore imperative that the causes of pipeline failure are tackled to prevent or mitigate leak incidents. This is expedient to curb the menace that goes with leak incidents, such as destruction of the environment and ecosystem; loss of assets, finance, lives and property; dangers to workers and personnel, production downtime, litigation and dent to company’s reputation. This work focuses on the investigation of the actual cause of sudden pipeline failures and frequent pipeline leaks that often result to sectional pipeline replacement before the expiration of their anticipated life cycle in OML30 oil and gas field. The pipeline material selected, the standard of the minimum wall thickness of the material, the corrosive nature of the pipeline content and the observed internal corrosion rate were probed. An analysis of the rate of thinning and diminution of the internal wall of the pipeline by monitoring the interior rate of corrosion was used to forecast the remaining life of a crude oil pipeline and predict the life expectancy of a newly replaced or installed pipeline or installed pipeline.


2010 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noor N.M. ◽  
Yahaya N. ◽  
Ozman N.A.N ◽  
Othman S.R.

In general, the prediction of pipeline residual life can effectively assist pipeline operators to evaluate future safe operating strategies including re-inspection and appropriate maintenance schedule. As a result it can minimize the possibility of pipeline failures until it reaches its designed lifetime. A semi-probabilistic methodology for predicting the remaining strength of submarine pipelines subjected to internal corrosion based on Recommended Practice RP-F101 by Det Norske Veritas (DNV) is described in this paper. It is used to estimate the maximum allowable operating pressure of the corroding pipelines based on series of pigging data, which represents corrosion pit location and dimension. The introduction of partial safety factors in the DNV code to minimise the effect of uncertainties due to the defect sizing has improved the reliability of pipeline assessment methodology. Nevertheless, the code is still regarded as a fully deterministic approach due to its incapability of predicting the remaining life of corroded pipeline. Thus, we have added prediction capabilities to the capacity equation by introducing a standard deviation model of future defect depth. By doing so, the variation of safety factors of the capacity equation can be fully manipulated in which prediction of future pipeline residual life becomes feasible. The paper demonstrates calculation and prediction of pipeline residual life subjects to internal corrosion. The results shows the standard deviation of corrosion parameter affected the value of partial safety factor as corrosion progressing, hence amplify the conservatism of time to failure.


Author(s):  
Hannah Wiseman

An oil and gas extraction technique called hydraulic fracturing has been common in the United States for many decades. However, a recent change in this technique—the development of a specific fracturing or “fracking” practice called slickwater or slickwater fracturing—has turned the world of petroleum extraction on its head, opening up massive new deposits of oil and gas in the United States and around the world. This article uses the United States as a case study of the benefits and risks of fracturing and the legal frameworks that apply to this practice, exploring how the legal approach has been largely piecemeal and reactive. US states have been the primary regulatory bodies responsible for controlling risks, and their regulations vary substantially. The federal government also has regulated in limited areas, however—again in a largely reactive and patchwork manner.


Author(s):  
Ashish Khera ◽  
Bidyut B. Baniah

Contaminants such as CO2, H2S and O2 in liquid and gas pipelines in the presence of water create an aggressive environment conducive to internal corrosion. During pipeline operations, solids deposition, water accumulation, bacterial activities and improper chemical inhibition aggravate the internal corrosion attack. For assessing the threat of internal corrosion the industry has only three integrity validation tools at its disposal. These are Pressure Testing, In Line Inspection (ILI) and Internal Corrosion Direct Assessment (ICDA). To enhance pipeline integrity for piggable and non-piggable pipelines, NACE International published a variety of Standard Practices for the ICDA protocols for predicting time-dependent internal corrosion threats for various products in both offshore and onshore in sweet or sour service. All ICDA protocols are a structured, iterative integrity assessment process, consisting of the following four steps: Pre-assessment, Indirect Inspection, Detailed Examination and Post-assessment. Most importantly, unlike ILI and pressure testing, all ICDA standards require a mandatory root cause analysis and a go forward mitigation plan to arrest the corrosion processes being encountered. This paper reviews one case study; LP-ICDA for three (3) “piggable” refined product pipelines from the Jetty to the onshore marketing terminal. This paper will be useful for the pipeline operators to provide guidance on not only identifying the locations at which internal corrosion activity has occurred but also look into how the operators used the ICDA program to better manage their asset.


Author(s):  
Dave McColl ◽  
Adam Whiting

Pipeline infrastructure is the backbone of the energy industry and remains the safest and most cost effective method for transporting oil and gas. For decades corrosion has presented a significant challenge to pipeline operators. According to Alberta Energy Regulator data, internal corrosion is considered to be the root cause for more than 54% of all documented pipeline failures in Alberta [1]. Spoolable composite pipeline technologies have become a mainstream corrosion solution over the last 10 years, however these products are limited to smaller pipelines, typically less than 6 inches in diameter. Traditional slip-lining (field installed plastic lined steel pipe) is used for internal corrosion protection of larger pipelines, however it is costly, requiring labour intensive field construction, often completed in inhospitable environmental conditions. As a result project delays and cost over-runs are commonplace. Recognizing the need for a cost effective pipeline corrosion solution for larger gathering pipelines, an innovative technology was developed that combines a unique mechanical pipe joining system with an integrated electro-fusion coupler. The new joining system enables insertion of an HDPE liner in a factory environment where costs and quality can be tightly controlled. The new joining system eliminates conventional welding of the pipeline in the field and instead uses a custom field press to quickly energize the mechanical pipe joint. Field scope is significantly reduced, construction completed in less time, and associated costs greatly reduced. This paper discusses the testing completed to qualify the new joining system for use in oilfield gathering pipelines. The qualification test plan includes all requirements identified in applicable regulatory standards (primarily CSA Z662-11), and prudent engineering requirements based on anticipated field handling and anticipated operating conditions. The test regime was ultimately designed to ensure the suitability of the pipeline system for intended service. Testing included hydrostatic burst, static gas pressure, bend, cyclic pressure and thermal, vacuum, tensile, and compressive tests on the joint. The test results show that in all cases the jointing system successfully met the established design performance criteria and in most cases exceeded the actual mechanical properties of the parent pipe, thus proving the joining system ready for field installations.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Sarmistha R. Majumdar

Fracking has helped to usher in an era of energy abundance in the United States. This advanced drilling procedure has helped the nation to attain the status of the largest producer of crude oil and natural gas in the world, but some of its negative externalities, such as human-induced seismicity, can no longer be ignored. The occurrence of earthquakes in communities located at proximity to disposal wells with no prior history of seismicity has shocked residents and have caused damages to properties. It has evoked individuals’ resentment against the practice of injection of fracking’s wastewater under pressure into underground disposal wells. Though the oil and gas companies have denied the existence of a link between such a practice and earthquakes and the local and state governments have delayed their responses to the unforeseen seismic events, the issue has gained in prominence among researchers, affected community residents, and the media. This case study has offered a glimpse into the varied responses of stakeholders to human-induced seismicity in a small city in the state of Texas. It is evident from this case study that although individuals’ complaints and protests from a small community may not be successful in bringing about statewide changes in regulatory policies on disposal of fracking’s wastewater, they can add to the public pressure on the state government to do something to address the problem in a state that supports fracking.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Miriam R. Aczel ◽  
Karen E. Makuch

This case study analyzes the potential impacts of weakening the National Park Service’s (NPS) “9B Regulations” enacted in 1978, which established a federal regulatory framework governing hydrocarbon rights and extraction to protect natural resources within the parks. We focus on potential risks to national parklands resulting from Executive Orders 13771—Reducing Regulation and Controlling Regulatory Costs [1]—and 13783—Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth [2]—and subsequent recent revisions and further deregulation. To establish context, we briefly overview the history of the United States NPS and other relevant federal agencies’ roles and responsibilities in protecting federal lands that have been set aside due to their value as areas of natural beauty or historical or cultural significance [3]. We present a case study of Theodore Roosevelt National Park (TRNP) situated within the Bakken Shale Formation—a lucrative region of oil and gas deposits—to examine potential impacts if areas of TRNP, particularly areas designated as “wilderness,” are opened to resource extraction, or if the development in other areas of the Bakken near or adjacent to the park’s boundaries expands [4]. We have chosen TRNP because of its biodiversity and rich environmental resources and location in the hydrocarbon-rich Bakken Shale. We discuss where federal agencies’ responsibility for the protection of these lands for future generations and their responsibility for oversight of mineral and petroleum resources development by private contractors have the potential for conflict.


2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 177
Author(s):  
Nur Huzeima Mohd Hussain ◽  
Hugh Byrd ◽  
Nur Azfahani Ahmad

Globalisation combined with resources of oil and gas has led to an industrial society in Malaysia.  For the past 30 years, rapid urban growth has shifted from 73% rural to 73% urban population. However, the peak oil crisis and economic issues are threatening the growth of urbanisation and influencing the trends of population mobility. This paper documents the beginnings of a reverse migration (urban-to-rural) in Malaysia.  The method adopted case study that involves questionnaires with the urban migrants to establish the desires, definite intentions and reasons for future migration. Based on this data, it predicts a trend and rate of reverse migration in Malaysia. 


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sneta Mishra ◽  
Daniel R. Bockelman
Keyword(s):  

Abstract A case study is presented of a core CPU product where FA/FI debug is performed for an ESD-related pin leakage issue on an IO family to root cause and qualify the product. A Powered TIVA technique is used to localize the damage to the termination resistor circuitry of the affected IO block when the pin is tristated using a device tester. Failure characterization shows a gate to drain short on the transistor, with nanoprobing confirming a solid short on gate to drain and TEM finding a short at the location indicated by the TIVA hits.


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