An Overview of Enbridge’s Pipeline Repair Program

Enbridge Pipelines Inc. operates the world’s longest and most complex liquids pipeline network and terminals that link the producing areas of Western Canada to refineries and markets in Eastern Canada and the U.S. Midwest. As key components of Enbridge’s Integrity Management Program, In-Line Inspections and Repair Programs have been and will continue to be conducted on the more than 15,000 km of pipeline that make up the Enbridge network. Enbridge’s extensive use of internal inspection technology has resulted in the continued evolution and expansion of the Pipeline Repair Program. The Enbridge repair program is built on an established process. This process involves a team within the pipeline integrity group that assesses In-Line Inspection (ILI) information, validate ILI data, define a repair program, establish field repair teams, provide training & provide advice to repair teams, analyze field reports and maintain the program budget. The field repair teams are responsible for location of the repair sites, environmental and safety concerns, site excavation, defect assessment and repair & backfill. This process has to encompass the challenges of a pipeline network that traverses a variety of conditions, including varied soils, rock, water courses, population densities, regional environmental & land issues. These conditions have to be considered when choosing an ILI tool and when analyzing the data. Construction practices and equipment vary from region to region and repair teams have had to design and build equipment to meet these challenges. Field analysis personnel for all areas of the system are required to collect information on the land form, samples of soils, water, deposits on the pipe wall and a complete analysis of the anomaly and exposed seam & girthwelds. This paper will discuss the components of the program and will present the Pipeline Repair Program as a key driver that not only provides the assessment and repair of anomalies, but plays a key role in the development and testing of new technologies for field & office assessment tools.