Abstract
The United States Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration (PHMSA) published the amended gas pipeline federal safety standards (49 CFR 192) in October 2019. The updated regulations provide provisions for the execution of fatigue crack growth analyses and remaining life estimates. The fatigue threat has been extended to applicable pipeline segments within the standard for both integrity management, as well as MAOP reconfirmation approaches. Fatigue behavior and analysis of pipelines has been well studied throughout the industry and has been the subject of many publications. However, the practical application of such analyses, which incorporates the use of structural mechanics, fracture mechanics, material property assessments, uncertainty quantification, and risk analysis, requires a procedural approach that connects inputs and outputs, is scalable, and allows for prioritization of pipeline segments. A key component of this process is leveraging a simple method, used on the front-end of the larger fatigue assessment, for identifying and evaluating assets at risk of fatigue crack growth and subsequent ultimate failure from the fatigue threat. The current work outlines a mechanics-based process by which operators can gauge and prioritize pipeline segments based on the susceptibility to fatigue crack growth.