An Innovative Approach for Pipeline Repairs

A strategic combination of integrity software, relational databases, GIS, and GPS technologies reduced costs and increased quality of a comprehensive pipeline integrity assessment and repair program that Greenpipe Industries Ltd. completed recently on three crude oil pipelines—two 6-inch and one 8-inch—for Enbridge Pipelines (Saskatchewan) Inc. Greenpipe analyzed metal loss data from recent in-line inspection logs, calculated real-world coordinates of defects and reference welds, prioritized anomalies for repair taking environmental risks into account, and prepared detailed dig sheets and site maps using PipeCraft™, Greenpipe’s advanced GIS-based pipeline integrity-maintenance software package. GPS technology was used to navigate to dig sites and the accuracy of the GPS approach was compared with traditional chainage methods. Pipelines were purged and all defects were cut out and replaced by new pipe during a two-day shutdown on each pipeline. A comprehensive set of data, including high-accuracy GPS location of anomalies, reference welds, and replacement pipe welds, was collected at each dig site and entered into the PipeCraft relational database. After all repairs were completed, the client was provided with a GIS-based electronic final report, allowing point-and-click access to all data collected in the field, including in-line inspection logs, dig information sheets and as-built drawings. The new methodologies employed on this project resulted in a high quality, comprehensive and cost-effective integrity maintenance program.