CALIFORNIA PIPELINE INTEGRITY WEEK | LONG BEACH
June 2-5, 2025 | Long Beach, CA
Register before May 19, 2025 and save $200!
ATTENTION
If you plan to attend, please register as soon as possible to help ensure that these courses are not cancelled due to low registration numbers.
We must reach sufficient course size to host the training.
ASSESSING CRACKING AND SEAM WELD ANOMALIES IN PIPELINES | JUNE 4-5
COURSE SCHEDULE (both days)
7.30: Registration, breakfast, coffee
8.00 - 5.00: Course
It will be necessary to bring a laptop to this course.
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COURSE OUTLINE
Led by Sergio Limon, this 2-day, in-person course is designed for pipeline engineers and managers. You will learn the basics of how and why cracks and seam weld anomalies form and how to effectively assess them. This will include hands-on demonstration and discussion of pipeline samples with cracking and seam weld defects. Appropriate assessment methods such as ILI tools and pressure testing will be discussed as well as traditional and current engineering methods for determining their severity for response and remediation. In-ditch Non-destructive Examination (NDE) methods and technologies will also be covered and demonstrated with actual pipeline samples. Each attendee will receive a complimentary Excel based crack assessment calculator which will be demonstrated in class using practical case studies.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
Led by Sergio Limon, this 2-day, in-person course is designed for pipeline engineers and managers. You will learn the basics of how and why cracks and seam weld anomalies form and how to effectively assess them. This will include hands-on demonstration and discussion of pipeline samples with cracking and seam weld defects. Appropriate assessment methods such as ILI tools and pressure testing will be discussed as well as traditional and current engineering methods for determining their severity for response and remediation. In-ditch Non-destructive Examination (NDE) methods and technologies will also be covered and demonstrated with actual pipeline samples. Each attendee will receive a complimentary Excel based crack assessment calculator which will be demonstrated in class using practical case studies.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
Pipeline engineers, managers and service professionals who are involved with the operation, maintenance, inspection and repair of pipelines.
COURSE DOCUMENTATION
Complete course presentation material will be available as a PDF download prior to the course.
CONTINUING EDUCATION UNITS
Upon completion of the course, participants will be awarded 1.4 CEUs.
INSTRUCTOR
Sergio Limón is a Sr. Engineering Advisor with Blade Energy Partners responsible for developing, implementing, and executing strategic integrity management programs for gas and liquids pipelines, as well as performing fracture mechanics based structural evaluations, fatigue assessments and failure analyses. Sergio has worked in the oil & gas pipeline industry for more than 22 years with emphasis on pipeline integrity threat analysis and response. He was employed for 10 years with a large owner and operator of natural gas transportation pipelines where he led for six years the Asset Integrity group for the western division responsible for the analysis, response, and remediation of integrity threats. Sergio holds B Sc. and M Sc. degrees in Mechanical Engineering with emphasis in fracture mechanics and materials from the University of Utah.
COURSE SYLLABUS
Day 1
- Characteristics and Behavior of Cracks and Long Seam Weld Anomalies in Pipelines
- A review of line pipe making, with emphasis on vintage ERW, Flash and Direct Current Welded pipelines
- The formation and growth of
- Environmentally Assisted Cracking: SCC axial & circumferential, hydrogen induced cracking, corrosion fatigue cracking, sulfide stress cracking, and selective seam corrosion
- Manufacturing Related Imperfections: lack of fusion, cold welds, stitching, and hook crack-like features
- Operationally Driven Cracking: fatigue cracks
- Difference between cracks and long seam weld anomalies
- PHMSA requirements for evaluating pipelines with cracks and seam weld defects
- Old and new regulations in Parts 192 and 195
- Review of current industry standards and recommended practices related to addressing cracking and seam weld integrity
- ASME B31.8S and API 1176 and 1160
- Hands-on demonstration of pipeline samples with cracks and seam weld defects
- Foundations of Engineering Fracture Mechanics
- The fracture process of pipelines with cracks or seam weld anomalies
- Fracture initiation, stable propagation, and fracture arrest or final fracture
- Fracture behavior: brittle, ductile and mix-mode
- Basic principles underlining Liner Elastic and Elastic-Plastic Fracture Mechanics and their applications to pipelines
- The concept of Stress Intensity Factor describing the relationship of failure stress as a function of crack size and material properties
- Fracture toughness testing
- Impact Charpy V-Notch and its relation to Ductile-to-Brittle transition curve
- Fracture mechanics-based toughness testing: Kc, Jc, CTOD and J-R crack growth resistance curve
- Correlation of CVN to K, J and CTOD
- Performing Failure Pressure Calculations
- What to look for in any engineering method for determining the failure pressure of pipelines in the presence of cracks or seam weld anomalies
- Review of the following engineering methods: NG-18 Equation, Newman-Raju Equation, CorLAS, API 579-1/ASME FFS-1, and PRCI MAT-8
- Review of published studies comparing the accuracy of these methods
- Which one is more accurate or conservative?
- Effects of fracture toughness on failure pressure predictions
- In class demonstration of an Excel failure stress analysis calculator
- A review of crack prioritization and severity rankings by ASME and CEPA
- Crack length interlinking conditions of neighboring crack features by CEPA and API 579
- SCC growth estimation and industry reported growth rates
Day 2
- Performing Fatigue Crack Growth Analysis
- Common concepts in fatigue analysis and stages of fatigue and fatigue life
- Steps for performing a fatigue crack growth analysis and remaining life calculation
- Setting initial cracks sizes, evaluating cyclic pressure data, choosing material properties, selecting a fatigue crack growth model and deciding on one the termination point of the fatigue analysis (failure condition)
- Review of fatigue crack growth models: Paris-Erdogan, Walker, Forman, NASGRO and choosing an appropriate set of C & m fatigue parameters
- Simplifying variable amplitude cyclic pressure data by means of the rainflow counting methods (ASTM E1049) and assessing the severity of cyclic pressures
- Performing sensitivity analysis of the final calculated fatigue life
- The use of safety factor on the predicted final fatigue life
- In class demonstration of case studies and the analysis of cyclic pressures
- Integrity Assessments for Addressing Cracks and Long Seam Weld Anomalies
- Factors to consider when evaluating and deciding on assessment methods
- Hydrostatic Testing: setting up appropriate pressure test targets, hold times, the role of spike testing and determination of appropriate re-test intervals
- In-line Inspection: description of the UT, EMAT and C-MFL technologies, their performance, industry experience, and development of response criteria
- Direct Assessment methods: review and applicability of NACE SP0204 for SCCDA and CSA Z662 & CEPA Condition Monitoring for SCC
- In-Ditch Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE)
- Pipeline coating removal and surface preparation techniques
- Review of most widely used NDE methods and technologies
- Magnetic particle inspection
- Conventional UT shearwave
- Phased array UT (PAUT)
- Total Focusing Method (TFM)
- Inverse Wave Field Extrapolation (IWEX)
- Eddy Current-based
- Including emerging technologies
- NDE personnel qualifications, what should they be for pipeline applications?
- Present an NDE protocol framework for field evaluations and characterization of cracks and long seam weld anomalies
- Hands-on demonstration of various NDE methods and technologies commonly used for crack and seam weld detection and sizing
- Review of repairs options in the industry: ASME B31.8 & B31.4 and PRCI Repair Manual
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Pipeline Integrity Management