ŠNACE International. All rights reserved. Paper Number 02089 reproduced with permission from CORROSION/2002 Annual Conference and Exhibition, Denver, Colorado. See the NACE web site at http://www.nace.org for more information.
ASSESSMENT OF CRACK-LIKE FLAWS IN PIPELINES
C. E. Jaske, P. H. Vieth, and J. A. Beavers CC Technologies 6141 Avery Road Dublin, OH 43016-8761 USA
ABSTRACT Inspection of pipelines may reveal crack-like anomalies. United States standards require that crack-like features by repaired or removed from pipelines. In contrast, Canadian standards permit an engineering critical assessment (ECA) of crack-like features. ECA utilizes pipeline dimensions, operating pressures, material properties, fracture mechanics, and inspection data to determine the disposition of crack-like anomalies. Methods for performing an ECA are reviewed. They include estimation of failure conditions for toughness-controlled fracture and the potential of crack growth by fatigue, stress-corrosion cracking, or corrosion fatigue. Application of the failure assessment diagram (FAD) as well as inelastic fracture mechanics is discussed. The importance of pressure cycle counting is pointed out. The rain flow cycle counting method is extended to incorporate cyclic frequency so time/cycledependent crack growth can be evaluated. Practical examples are presented to illustrate the application of ECA. INTRODUCTION Hazardous liquid pipeline operators with 500 or more miles of pipeline in the United States must have programs for integrity management in high consequence areas.1 Similar requirements are being developed for hazardous liquid operators with less than 500 miles of pipeline and for operators of gas pipelines. For this reason, there has recently been increased interest in pipeline integrity.
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