A Method to Analyze the Impact of Inline Inspection Accuracy on Integrity Management Program Planning of Pipelines

Author(s):  
Mingjiang Xie ◽  
Zhigang Tian ◽  
Jeff Sutherland ◽  
Bingyan Fang ◽  
Bill Gu

A pipeline integrity management program is greatly affected by integrity planning methods and inline inspection (ILI) tool performance. In integrity management program planning, inspection and maintenance activities are in common practice, determined from risk and integrity assessment practices with the objective to reduce risk and effectively exceed a reliability target for the safe operation of the pipeline. An efficient and effective integrity planning method can address the most significant risk and optimize the operational and maintenance costs. In this paper, a method is presented for analyzing the impact of ILI tool accuracy on integrity planning for pipelines for fatigue cracks. Crack inspection and threat of fatigue cracking was used as the working case for the analysis although the approach could potentially be used for any pipeline threat type. The proposed method is based on the use of a Monte Carlo simulation framework, where initial crack defect size and ILI measurement errors are considered as key random variables. The integrity (severity) assessment of the crack population scenarios used the CorLAS™ burst pressure model, and the Paris’ law crack growth model based on API 579. The subsequent pipeline reliability assessments also considered single and multiple cracks scenarios. Using a reliability / probability of failure (PoF) approach, the impact of ILI tool accuracy and initial crack size on when to set reinspection and reassessment intervals was investigated. Furthermore, integrity program cost scenarios for pipeline integrity programs with multiple cracks was also evaluated with respect to different (crack) populations, pipe conditions and ILI accuracies. A sensitivity analysis was performed considering different inspection costs, maintenance costs and relative crack severity for pipelines with financial metrics. Various scenarios were discussed regarding maintenance and inspection planning and a “total cost rate” for different situations. The proposed method can support integrity management program planning by linking risks with integrity plan costs associated with ILI accuracies, and optimal re-assessment intervals.

2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mingjiang Xie ◽  
Jeff Sutherland ◽  
Bingyan Fang ◽  
Bill Gu ◽  
Zhigang Tian

Abstract Integrity planning methods and inline inspection (ILI) tool performance have a great impact on a pipeline integrity management program. In pipeline integrity planning, risk and integrity assessments are performed to schedule integrity activities like ILI for the purpose of reducing risks and ensuring reliable and safe operations. In this paper, a method is developed for analyzing the impact of ILI tool accuracy on pipeline integrity planning, which is of great importance but has not been systematically studied before. Crack inspection and threat of fatigue cracking are used as the working case for the analysis, although the approach could potentially be used for any pipeline threat type. The Paris' law degradation model is used for the crack growth and subsequent severity and risk assessment. We investigated the impact of ILI tool accuracy on the cost rate, as well as the associated inspection intervals. The impact on long-term cost rate was also investigated considering new defect generation and continuous growth. Sensitivity analyses were performed. The optimal inspection intervals and the corresponding total cost rates with respect to different ILI tool accuracy and different input parameters were obtained and compared. The proposed method can support integrity management program planning by linking risks with integrity plan costs associated with ILI accuracy and optimal re-assessment intervals. The contributions of this paper mainly include the investigation of the problem of how ILI tool accuracy impacts integrity planning, the development of the method for analyzing pipelines with cracks, and the verification and validation with the examples.


2010 ◽  
Vol 26 (02) ◽  
pp. 106-110
Author(s):  
Ge Wang ◽  
Michael Lee ◽  
Chris Serratella ◽  
Stanley Botten ◽  
Sam Ternowchek ◽  
...  

Real-time monitoring and detection of structural degradation helps in capturing the structural conditions of ships. The latest nondestructive testing (NDT) and sensor technologies will potentially be integrated into future generations of the structural integrity management program. This paper reports on a joint development project between Alaska Tanker Company, American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), and MISTRAS. The pilot project examined the viability of acoustic emission technology as a screening tool for surveys and inspection planning. Specifically, testing took place on a 32-year-old double-hull Trans Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) trade tanker. The test demonstrated the possibility of adapting this technology in the identification of critical spots on a tanker in order to target inspections. This targeting will focus surveys and inspections on suspected areas, thus increasing efficiency of detecting structural degradation. The test has the potential to introduce new inspection procedures as the project undertakes the first commercial testing of the latest acoustic emission technology during a tanker's voyage.


Author(s):  
Martin Zaleski ◽  
Tom Greaves ◽  
Jan Bracic

The Canadian Standards Association’s Publication Z662-07, Annex N provides guidelines for pipeline integrity management programs. Government agencies that regulate pipelines in Alberta, British Columbia and other Canadian jurisdictions are increasingly using Annex N as the standard to which pipeline operators are held. This paper describes the experience of Pembina Pipeline Corporation (Pembina) in implementing a geohazards management program to fulfill components of Annex N. Central to Pembina’s program is a ground-based inspection program that feeds a geohazards database designed to store geotechnical and hydrotechnical site information and provide relative rankings of geohazard sites across the pipeline network. This geohazard management program fulfills several aspects of the Annex, particularly: record keeping; hazard identification and assessment; risk assessment and reduction; program planning; inspections and monitoring; and mitigation. Pembina’s experience in growing their geohazard inventory from 65 known sites to over 1300 systematically inspected and catalogued sites in a span of approximately two years is discussed. Also presented are methods by which consultants and Pembina personnel contribute to the geohazard inspection program and geohazard inventory, and how the ground inspection observations trigger follow-up inspections, monitoring and mitigation activities.


Author(s):  
Robert Lazor ◽  
Stephanie Verbit

There are several forms of material degradation that can affect the long-term integrity of buried pipelines, such as generalized corrosion, stress corrosion cracking, and fatigue crack growth. Pipeline operators must periodically assess the condition of their pipeline systems and address current repair priorities and then schedule the next inspection and maintenance programs. The analyses described in this paper have been used to determine the growth of typical cracks that could be found on buried pipelines using the pipeline operating pressure history and fracture mechanics techniques. The details that have been examined include the characterization of the pressure history using rainflow counting techniques and a review of typical pipeline defect types. Examples are provided to describe how the following variables affect the predicted crack growth history: • Pressure histogram ‘bin size’; • Initial crack dimensions. The general techniques and procedures can be used as an integral part of a pipeline integrity management program to establish failure risks and to schedule regular maintenance activities.


Author(s):  
Hao Song ◽  
Chenteh Alan Yu ◽  
Yongming Cheng ◽  
Jing Hou

Abstract The riser is a critical element in a subsea production system for transporting hydrocarbons from the seafloor to the surface. The track record of existing riser systems worldwide has shown that risers tend to be designed conservatively to accommodate dynamic loads, strength and fatigue requirements, and corrosion/erosion provision needs. Among all the riser types, the steel catenary riser (SCR) is the most installed riser configuration for deepwater oil and gas production worldwide in the last two decades. This is mainly because of their simple configuration and relatively low manufacturing and installation cost. As riser technology advances, SCRs are designed to tackle more challenging environments and longer service lives. For the riser life extension applications, regulatory bodies prefer riser operations to be managed through an integrity management program, demonstrating that a robust framework with detailed records on the conditions of the risers is in place. This paper studies an integrity management program for SCRs with a 30-year design life in a harsh environment. The planned riser integrity management program is based on successful industry practice and the newly published riser integrity management standard API RP 2RIM [4]. It starts with a review of the riser design basis and as-built data, continuing with key field data measurement and production fluid sampling. A digital model, continuously calibrated with the measured data, is established to assess the integrity of the riser system. Key physical quantities are selected to monitor the structural health of the SCRs, including vessel motion measurement, measurement of SCR top hang-off angles and tensions, and full water column current measurement. The relationship between the measurement data and the riser strength and fatigue performance is established. Details of the riser integrity assessment in a digital model utilizing the measurement data are presented. The implemented proposed riser integrity management program is expected to provide a more focused and efficient method with a higher level of confidence in operating the SCRs during the design life and potentially beyond.


Author(s):  
Honglong Zheng ◽  
Muyang Ai ◽  
Lijian Zhou ◽  
Mingfei Li ◽  
Ting Wang ◽  
...  

As a preventative management mode, integrity management which is significantly effective is now applicable in modern industry. Based on the successful application of integrity management for the pipeline, managers expect an extension of the integrity management program for the oil and gas stations such as pumping stations, so as to make the best arrangement of resources and guarantee the safety of station facilities. The differences between station integrity management system in China and abroad are analyzed. It is claimed that the oil and gas station integrity management is more difficult and complicated in China. An integrity management program is developed for the oil and gas stations in China. The authors summarily introduce the station integrity management framework, and determine the processes and elements of management. For the main parts of the stations are plenty of facilities, the authors attempt to carry out the management on each category of facilities in particular. According to the characteristics and working status, field facilities can be classified into three categories: static facilities, dynamic facilities, and electrical instruments. For all these facilities, integrity management approach consists of five steps: data collection, risk assessment, integrity assessment, repair & maintenance, and performance evaluation. Station integrity management system comprises five aspects: system documents, standards & specifications, supporting technologies, management platforms and applications. This paper should be considered as a reference for the oil and gas station integrity managers in the future.


Author(s):  
Jeremiah Konell ◽  
Brian Dedeke ◽  
Chris Hurst ◽  
Shanshan Wu ◽  
Joseph Bratton

Abstract In preparation for the upcoming (currently in draft form) Recommended Practice (RP) on Dent Assessment and Management (API 1183) [1], Explorer Pipeline Company, Inc. (Explorer) has performed an internal procedural review to determine how to effectively implement the methodologies into their Integrity Management Program (IMP). Explorer’s pipeline system transports hazardous liquids and is comprised of over 1,800 miles of pipeline ranging in diameter from 3 to 28 inches. The majority of the system was installed in the 1970s, but parts of the system were also installed as early as the 1940s. The primary focus of this review and implementation into the IMP is in regard to performing and responding to in-line inspection (ILI) based integrity assessments. Prior to the development of API 1183, dent assessment and management consisted of following a set of prescriptive condition assessments outlined in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 49, Part 195.452. In order to do this, pipeline operators required basic information, such as dent depth, orientation, and interaction with potential stress risers such as metal loss, cracks, gouges, welds, etc. However, in order to fully implement API 1183, additional parameters are needed to define the dent shape, restraint condition, defect interaction, and pipeline operating conditions. Many new and necessary parameters were identified throughout the IMP, from the very initial pre-assessment stage (new ILI vendor requirements as part of the tool/vendor selection process) all the way to defining an appropriate reassessment interval (new process of analyzing dent fatigue life). This paper summarizes the parameters of API 1183 that were not part of Explorer’s current IMP. The parameters are identified, and comments are provided to rank the level of necessity from “must have” to “beneficial” (e.g. can sound and conservative assumptions be made when a parameter is not available). Comments are also provided to explain the impact of applying assumptions in place of parameters. The table of identified parameters should provide a useful tool for other pipeline operators who are considering implementing API 1183 as part of their overall IMP.


Author(s):  
M. Robb Isaac ◽  
Saleh Al-Sulaiman ◽  
Monty R. Martin ◽  
Sandeep Sharma

In early 2005, Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) initiated a Total Pipeline Integrity Management System (TPIMS) implementation in order to carry out a major integrity assessment of its operating facilities, equipment, buried plant piping and pipeline network and to establish a continuing integrity management program. KOC Transit System is a complex infrastructure consisting of over three hundred pipelines, thousands of wellhead flow lines, and consumer and offshore lines for which there was a significant loss of data when the facilities were destroyed during a military invasion in 1990. An initial pipeline system assessment identified issues and actions regarding condition of the pipelines, corridors, requirements on in-line inspection (ILI), documentation, RISK assessment, status of international code compliance, and overall state of the system. Following recommendations from that initial assessment led to the development of a long term strategy; the execution of which required the implementation of a comprehensive integrity management program. This case study discusses the results obtained after five years of implementation of TPIMS at KOC. It will demonstrate some of the complex components involved in managing the integrity of the Transit System that have been made possible through the implementation of the system. The general concept and structure of TPIMS will be described, and how it deals with the complexity of the KOC pipeline system. The system made it possible to integrate and manage data from various sources, by conducting integrity assessment using ILI, Direct Assessment and hydrostatic testing, as well as structure a comprehensive RISK & Decision Support mechanism. This is one of the world’s first implementations of this magnitude which encompasses such a wide range of services and variables; all being managed in a single environment and utilized by a multitude of users in different areas at KOC. The biggest challenge in a project of this scope is data management. Examples will be shown of the integration structure to illustrate the benefits of using a single comprehensive and versatile platform to manage system requirements; ultimately providing system reliability and improving overall operational efficiency.


Author(s):  
Keith Adams ◽  
Joe Zhou

Pipeline dents are common occurrences that have a potential integrity threat to the system. Dents are typically found through in-line inspections, and historically, low-resolution in-line inspection geometry tools were used to find the locations of dents. These tools gave little information about shape, orientation or other dent features. Newer ‘high-resolution’ tools give a much clearer picture of the dent shape, location, orientation and location of welds. This information has been previously unavailable and has enabled dent integrity assessment with much greater accuracy and confidence. However this still leaves the question of how to best address the information from older, low-resolution inspection tools. In the past, CSA Z662 required that all dents with a deflection greater than 6% or that contained stress concentrators, including welds, had to be repaired. In the newly published 2003 edition of CSA Z662, dents can be assessed by an engineering assessment to determine their acceptability. Historical evidence has shown that dents less than 6% can also be subject to failure under certain conditions, and is indicated in the notes of CSA Z662-03 10.8.2.4.2. Dents that contain stress concentrators, including corrosion, welds and cracks must be given special consideration, however often little information is available for the dent from solely a geometry tool. TransCanada PipeLines Limited has been involved in the development of a dent assessment methodology for several years. Based on the 2003 revisions to CSA Z662, TransCanada has started to implement a dent integrity management program. This paper discusses the approach taken by TransCanada: to create a database of dent features, classification of dents, finite element analysis (FEA) to determine cyclic stress spectra, fatigue analysis, validation through dig programs, and the management of these features from a system integrity standpoint.


Author(s):  
Abe Nezamian ◽  
Robert J. Nicolson

Floating facilities for production, storage and offtake (FPSO) and other offshore production facilities have been used safely and reliably throughout the oil industry for many years. Asset Integrity is increasingly important to optimising safety and operational life and asset performance efficiency. Operators need to comply with Corporate, Regulatory and Certification requirements but recognise that developing and managing an effective and compliant Asset Integrity Management System is both time consuming and costly. Review of operational history of existing large FPSOs around the world indicated low confidence in operational life expectancy and to achieve the design life without possible dry docking or major repair. FPSOs have certain loading characteristics and damage consequences that make them different to other offshore installations and conventional ships, and often more challenging to maintain and operate. Maintenance and inspection campaigns are important inputs in the Asset Integrity Management (AIM) system of FPSOs and other floating offshore facilities. Considering that the unit shall stay on site during the whole life of the field, where disconnection or the removal of the mooring system is not planned, a comprehensive methodology for the asset integrity management, survey, inspection, testing, maintenance and repair of the unit during this period needs to be developed and subject to review based on the results of the scheduled inspections and audits. So as well as class and statutory requirements, inspection and survey, maintenance and repair plans should reflect the required availability, functionality, survivability and durability of the unit, giving due regard to its field life, as part of the safety management of the facility. Risk Based Integrity management methodology has been adopted in several projects and is an important tool to establish a rational inspection campaign for structural components, mainly for those located in areas where access is critical and operational constraints are an important parameter. This paper gives an overview of the challenges and discusses various aspects of ageing related to FPSO facilities, represented risk to the integrity of a facility and the required procedures and reassessment criteria for maintaining the structural integrity. This paper also provides an overall view on the regulatory requirements, documentation and calibrations/validations of the original design values to maintain the safety level by means of a maintenance and inspection programs balancing the ageing mechanisms and improving the reliability of assessment results. A brief summary of an example project of an asset integrity assessment and management program for life preservation of a purpose built FPSO and associated subsea system facilities is presented.


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