Abstract
In preparation for the upcoming (currently in draft form) Recommended Practice (RP) on Dent Assessment and Management (API 1183) [1], Explorer Pipeline Company, Inc. (Explorer) has performed an internal procedural review to determine how to effectively implement the methodologies into their Integrity Management Program (IMP). Explorer’s pipeline system transports hazardous liquids and is comprised of over 1,800 miles of pipeline ranging in diameter from 3 to 28 inches. The majority of the system was installed in the 1970s, but parts of the system were also installed as early as the 1940s. The primary focus of this review and implementation into the IMP is in regard to performing and responding to in-line inspection (ILI) based integrity assessments.
Prior to the development of API 1183, dent assessment and management consisted of following a set of prescriptive condition assessments outlined in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 49, Part 195.452. In order to do this, pipeline operators required basic information, such as dent depth, orientation, and interaction with potential stress risers such as metal loss, cracks, gouges, welds, etc. However, in order to fully implement API 1183, additional parameters are needed to define the dent shape, restraint condition, defect interaction, and pipeline operating conditions.
Many new and necessary parameters were identified throughout the IMP, from the very initial pre-assessment stage (new ILI vendor requirements as part of the tool/vendor selection process) all the way to defining an appropriate reassessment interval (new process of analyzing dent fatigue life).
This paper summarizes the parameters of API 1183 that were not part of Explorer’s current IMP. The parameters are identified, and comments are provided to rank the level of necessity from “must have” to “beneficial” (e.g. can sound and conservative assumptions be made when a parameter is not available). Comments are also provided to explain the impact of applying assumptions in place of parameters. The table of identified parameters should provide a useful tool for other pipeline operators who are considering implementing API 1183 as part of their overall IMP.
