Using ILI pigs to establish pipeline corrosion rates -- Case histories

Conference · Thu Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1999

OSTI ID:20002575

Brown, W H

Corrosion is a major concern for the oil and gas industry. Pipelines are subject to internal and external agents that can cause corrosion affecting their safety, integrity, and profitability. Corrosion causes metal losses that may hamper the supply of energy and could lead to substantial damage to the ecology. Restoring pipelines to safe operating condition is the main goal of in-line inspection (ILI) using state-of-the-art Smart Pigs. These tools travel through the full length of pipelines gathering detailed information that is used for the assessment of both the internal and the external surfaces of the line. Ultrasound ILI tools perform direct measurements of the remaining wall thickness of the pipe. The analysis of an ultrasound ILI run determines the residual strength of the pipeline at the time of the inspection. On the other hand, the comparison of successive ultrasound runs establishes patterns of individual defect growth. Under this light the interpretation of the data leads to an assessment of the dynamics of the corrosion phenomena occurring in pipelines. Case histories are presented in this paper in order to illustrate how ultrasound ILI data are being used today to establish courses of action in corrective, preventive, and predictive maintenance of pipelines.

• Research Organization: Pipetronix, Houston, TX (US)
• OSTI ID: 20002575
• Report Number(s): CONF-990401--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
03 NATURAL GAS
CORROSION
IN-SERVICE INSPECTION
MAINTENANCE
NATURAL GAS
PETROLEUM
PIPELINES
ULTRASONIC TESTING