How Do Defect Assessment Methods Influence the Choice and Construction of In-Line Inspection Tools

The paper describes which aspects of tool accuracy are important for the choice of ILI tools and design of new ones. It is discussed what constitutes an inspection run comparison. What kind of work is carried out, especially if several ILI vendors are involved? What kind of integrity statement can be deduced and how is this influenced by tool accuracy? Finally, the paper will discuss how some aspects of fracture mechanics affect the design of crack detection pigs. What are the minimum requirements for an ILI tool to allow for reasonable defect assessment? In addition, relation between companies performing In-Line Inspection (ILI) and those providing defect assessment is discussed. To what degree should an inspection company also deal with issues of pipeline integrity?