SRP: MECHANICAL DAMAGE
This Strategic Research Priority consolidates mechanical damage research to effectively manage deformations identified through condition assessments to ensure repairs are made where truly needed.
outcomes & value to industry
• Improving operator management systems to advance safety, protection of the environment, reliability, and cost-efficiency.
• Eliminating unnecessary excavations and failures.
• Impacting industry recommended practices and standards, including standards for ILI reporting criteria for mechanical damage.
industry improvement
DAMAGE PREVENTION
Performance assessment for damage prevention and mitigation measures.
Establishment of key performance indicators for tools, techniques, and approaches.
New technologies for sensing and responding to unauthorized encroachment on ROW corridors.
INSPECTION TECHNOLOGIES
Detecting, discriminating, and sizing MD using ILI tools and in ditch technologies and methods, including the effects of coincident features.
Establishing consistent and uniform inspection reporting requirements for deformations on pipelines and for deformations with coincident features.
ASSESSMENT
Improving engineering assessment approaches including indentation strain-induced cracking, risk, failure pressure, pressure-cycling fatigue failure for plain dents and those interacting with other threats/features.
REPAIR
Connects related PRCI work on composite materials for repair of mechanical damage, and NDE (Non-Destructive Evaluation) studies on the inspection of composites after being installed to address features.
Provides technically credible justification for updates to PRCI Pipeline Repair Manual regarding mechanical damage.
• Completed ILI test trials at the PRCI TDC (Technology Development Center) including seven ILI technology providers with 70+ mechanical damage samples and multiple ILI systems in both air and liquid coupled environments.
• Led industry-changing feedback sessions with ILI service providers to establish uniform dent shape and coincident features reporting criteria.
• Expanded the ILI test string at the PRCI TDC with 140+ mechanical damage samples with associated features (metal loss, crack, gouge, weld); testing continuing in 2023 on a minimum of four technology providers participating to improve industry standards on mechanical damage inspection and assessment.
• Reviewed multiple presently applied methods for performing dent/strain/fatigue assessments, evaluating the accuracy of the assessment methods, and making suggestions to improve them.
• Completed 2 reports for screening tools for dents and 1 for ILI performance evaluation for Metal loss, cracks, and gouges in dents.
• Collected pipeline operator data to assess real-world experience and support engineering assessment model validation.
CURRENT RESULTS
Leadership
The MD SRP has significantly progressed the data supporting API 1183 and bolstered the API committee team’s ability to dramatically improve the document’s value to the pipeline industry.
As the MD SRP approaches its conclusion, the work accomplished has highlighted the performance typical to detection and sizing of mechanical damage. It has also highlighted areas with improvement opportunities that ILI vendors can now work on with real world truth data.
This SRP being the first of its kind had some challenges with funding, alignment of intent and collaboration in the first year. These challenges were overcome by relationship building and willingness to trust. For instance the promises of anonymity of the participants was kept, which will bolster future willingness to participate if the same approach is used.
- Tim Burns
