Grant: Collaborative Research and Development Grants
University of Alberta
$179,730.00
Predictive crack growth models for pipeline integrity and risk management - phase II
EF 2012-13
Résumé
Near-neutral pH Stress Corrosion Cracking (NNpHSCC) represents a substantial cost to Canadian pipeline companies and hence to Canadian consumers. NNpHSCC is controlled from an integrity management point of view by in-line inspection for oil pipelines or by hydrostatic testing for gas pipelines. Either of these techniques provides protection from in-service failures for a number of years and then the process has to be repeated. The testing cycle is particularly troublesome for gas pipelines since only quite large flaws that fail at hydrotest stress are detected by the hydrostatic testing technique. These procedures are also enormously expensive. The re-inspection interval or re-test interval is currently determined based on empirical models, which are rather imprecise. Long term investigation at the University of Alberta has found that the crack growth behavior of pipeline steels in NNpH environments is consistent with that of corrosion-fatigue, and crack growth rate can be correlated with a single term that is incorporated with all possible measurable variables pertinent to crack growth.
In order to transfer the above discovery into a usable technology for pipeline integrity and risk management, a three-year NSERC collaborative research project co-supported by TransCanada PipeLines and Spectra Energy Transmission was initiated in 2008 for the objective to develop an predictive growth model that can be used by pipeline operators for the purpose of integrity managements using available operation data recorded. Through extensive research in the last three years, a software program aimed directly for field application has been finally developed and can be transferred to the user shortly for actual trials. The current proposal is aimed to perform additional laboratory investigation and field validation to improve the predictability of the model/software program and to eventually release the software as a commercial product for integrity management application by pipeline operators.
Programme
Collaborative Research and Development Grants
Bénéficiaire
Emplacement
Alberta, Canada
Type de bénéficiaire
Academia
Type
Grant
Source
NSERC's Awards Data
Tel que publié
Application id
429697-2011
Name nom
Chen, Weixing
Department département
Chemical and Materials Engineering
Organization id
9
Institution établissement
University of Alberta
Province en
Alberta
Province fr
Alberta
Country en
CANADA
Country fr
CANADA
Fiscal year exercice financier
2012
Competition year année de concours
2011
Award amount
179730
Program id
CRDPJ
Program name en
Collaborative Research and Development Grants
Program name fr
Subventions de recherche et développement coopérative
Group en
Research partnerships programs
Group fr
Programmes de partenariat
Committee code
141
Committee name en
University/Industry
Committee name fr
Universités/industrie
Area of application code
301
Area of application group en
Energy resources
Area of application group fr
Ressources d'énergie
Area of application en
Oil, gas and coal
Area of application fr
Pétrole, gaz et charbon
Research subject code
2001
Research subject group en
Materials science and technology
Research subject group fr
Science et technologie des matériaux
Research subject en
Materials structure, properties and testing
Research subject fr
Structure, propriétés et essais des matériaux
Partie
1
Nb partie
3
Application title
Predictive crack growth models for pipeline integrity and risk management - phase II
Keyword
NSERC
Application summary
Near-neutral pH Stress Corrosion Cracking (NNpHSCC) represents a substantial cost to Canadian pipeline companies and hence to Canadian consumers. NNpHSCC is controlled from an integrity management point of view by in-line inspection for oil pipelines or by hydrostatic testing for gas pipelines. Either of these techniques provides protection from in-service failures for a number of years and then the process has to be repeated. The testing cycle is particularly troublesome for gas pipelines since only quite large flaws that fail at hydrotest stress are detected by the hydrostatic testing technique. These procedures are also enormously expensive. The re-inspection interval or re-test interval is currently determined based on empirical models, which are rather imprecise. Long term investigation at the University of Alberta has found that the crack growth behavior of pipeline steels in NNpH environments is consistent with that of corrosion-fatigue, and crack growth rate can be correlated with a single term that is incorporated with all possible measurable variables pertinent to crack growth.
In order to transfer the above discovery into a usable technology for pipeline integrity and risk management, a three-year NSERC collaborative research project co-supported by TransCanada PipeLines and Spectra Energy Transmission was initiated in 2008 for the objective to develop an predictive growth model that can be used by pipeline operators for the purpose of integrity managements using available operation data recorded. Through extensive research in the last three years, a software program aimed directly for field application has been finally developed and can be transferred to the user shortly for actual trials. The current proposal is aimed to perform additional laboratory investigation and field validation to improve the predictability of the model/software program and to eventually release the software as a commercial product for integrity management application by pipeline operators.
