Defect Assessment Using Effective Area Method From In-Line Inspection Data

When compared with the previous, more conservative methods of ASME B31G, failure pressure prediction of corroded pipelines using the effective area method (RSTRENG) has been demonstrated over time to be safe and has provided substantial economic benefit through the reduction of un-necessary repairs. In-Line Inspection technology has now developed to the point where approximations to effective area assessment can be provided based on in-line inspection data. This paper presents a method for determining if inspection performance is adequate to justify the use of effective area method based on in-line inspection data. Validation tests for the accuracy of effective area method in prediction of failure pressure from the original development work are cited and compared with the validated performance of effective area approximated from in-line inspection data.