Oil and gas transmission pipelines have a good safety record. This is due to a combination of good design, materials and operating practices. However, like any engineering structure, pipelines do occasionally fail. The major causes of pipeline failures around the world are external interference and corrosion; therefore, assessment methods are needed to determine the severity of such defects when they are detected in pipelines. Defects occurring during the fabrication of a pipeline are usually assessed against recognised and proven quality control (workmanship) limits. These workmanship limits are somewhat arbitrary, but they have been proven over time. However, a pipeline will invariably contain larger defects at some stage during its life, and these will require a ‘fitness-for-purpose’ assessment to determine whether or not to repair the pipeline. Consequently, the past 40 years has seen a large number of full scale tests of defects in pipelines, and the development of a number of methods for assessing the significance of defects. Some of these methods have been incorporated into industry guidance, others are to be found in the published literature. However, there is no definitive guidance that draws together all of the assessment techniques, or assesses each method against the published test data, or recommends best practice in their application. To address this industry need, a Joint Industry Project has been sponsored by fifteen international oil and gas companies to develop a Pipeline Defect Assessment Manual (PDAM). PDAM documents the best available techniques currently available for the assessment of pipeline defects (such as corrosion, dents, gouges, weld defects, etc.) in a simple and easy-to-use manual, and gives guidance in their use. PDAM is based on an extensive critical review of pipeline fitness-for-purpose methods and published test data. It is intended to be another tool to help pipeline engineers maintain the high level of pipeline safety. In addition to identifying the best methods, PDAM has served to identify a number of limitations in the current understanding of the behaviour of defects in pipelines, and the empirical limits in the application of existing methods. This paper discusses the PDAM project, in the context of both the current best practice available for defect assessment and the limitations of current knowledge.
Skip Nav Destination
2002 4th International Pipeline Conference
September 29–October 3, 2002
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Conference Sponsors:
- Pipeline Division
ISBN:
0-7918-3620-7
PROCEEDINGS PAPER
The Pipeline Defect Assessment Manual Available to Purchase
Andrew Cosham,
Andrew Cosham
Penspen Andrew Palmer, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
Search for other works by this author on:
Phil Hopkins
Phil Hopkins
Penspen Andrew Palmer, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
Search for other works by this author on:
Andrew Cosham
Penspen Andrew Palmer, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
Phil Hopkins
Penspen Andrew Palmer, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
Paper No:
IPC2002-27067, pp. 1565-1581; 17 pages
Published Online:
February 24, 2009
Citation
Cosham, A, & Hopkins, P. "The Pipeline Defect Assessment Manual." Proceedings of the 2002 4th International Pipeline Conference. 4th International Pipeline Conference, Parts A and B. Calgary, Alberta, Canada. September 29–October 3, 2002. pp. 1565-1581. ASME. https://doi.org/10.1115/IPC2002-27067
Download citation file:
112
Views
Related Proceedings Papers
Related Articles
RTP-1: A Standard for Reinforced Plastic Corrosion-Resistant Equipment
J. Pressure Vessel Technol (August,1992)
Reliability-Based Optimization of Multi-Component Welded Structures
J. Offshore Mech. Arct. Eng (November,1994)
Optimal Design of Onshore Natural Gas Pipelines
J. Pressure Vessel Technol (June,2011)
Related Chapters
Global Harmonization of Flaw Modeling/Characterization
Global Applications of the ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code
Introduction
Managing Risks in Design & Construction Projects
Introduction
Computer Vision for Structural Dynamics and Health Monitoring