Pipeline Pigging: Technical and Operational Aspects

Introduction

A five-day course on the practical aspects of piping and pipeline design, integrity, maintenance, and repair. The participants will obtain an in-depth understanding of the ASME B31 code rules and API standards, their technical basis, and practical application to field conditions. The course reviews and applies the ASME code design rules, strength and fracture design analysis, and acceptance criteria. The participants will be able to recognize causes of degradation in-service, whether mechanically induced (pressure, vibration, fatigue, pressure transients, external damage) or due to corrosion (wall thinning, pitting, cracking), and apply integrity analysis techniques to make run-or-repair decisions.

The participants will review inspection techniques, from the most common (PT, MT, UT, RT, MFL pigs) to most recent (AE, PED, UT pigs, and multi pigs), and the implementation of integrity management programs, periodic inspections, and evaluation of results. The course will review the various repair techniques, their advantages and shortcomings, and the step-by-step logic to be followed in making repair decisions and selecting the applicable repair.

Objectives

• At the completion of this 5-day course, the participants will have an in-depth understanding of the ASME B31 design, construction, inspection, and testing rules; as well as their application to integrity assessment of operating systems.
• The participants will gain an in-depth knowledge of pipe and fitting material specifications, fabrication process, and influence on mechanical properties of strength and toughness, to help in material selection and failure analysis.
• The participant will understand the technical background to the design equations and their application to the design of piping systems and pipelines. The course addresses rules of good practice in the layout of piping systems for reliable operation. The course provides an in-depth, step-by-step review of operating transients in piping systems and pipelines, their cause, and the methods for their analysis.
• The course covers construction and welding practices, weld inspections, weld flaws, and acceptance criteria. The course covers hydro-testing methods and alternative leak detection techniques.
• The participant will gain a practical understanding of piping and pipeline corrosion mechanisms, how to recognize them, classify them, and resolve them.
• The participant will be introduced to the latest techniques and research in piping and pipeline integrity to analyze a degraded condition due to either corrosion or mechanical damage.
• The participants will review case histories of field failures and will evaluate their cause and solutions to avoid recurrence.

Training Methodology

• The company will gain a wealth of information on the latest industry practices in design, inspection, maintenance, and repair of piping systems and pipelines, and apply this knowledge for cost-effective design and maintenance decisions.
• The company will be able to take full advantage of the latest ASME code rules and API recommended practices in piping and pipeline integrity.
• The participant will have the opportunity to extend his/her expertise in equipment design, defect assessment, and equipment integrity analysis.
• The participant will gain in-depth expertise in ASME B31 and API standards.
• During these five days, the participant will have the opportunity to work with one of the leaders in the field of vessels, piping and pipelines engineering, member of several ASME committees, and get an understanding not only of the rules being applied but also of their background.
• The participant will receive comprehensive course notes, illustrated with practical examples, to use as a reference.

Who Should Attend?

The course is intended for engineers, maintenance technicians and inspectors responsible for the design, integrity, maintenance and repair of pipelines and piping systems.

Course Outline

Day 1: Materials and Sizing

• Introduction
• History of Pipeline Technology
• ASME Codes and Standards
• API Standards
• NACE, MSS-SP, PFI Standards
• Fundamentals of Maintenance and Integrity

Materials

• API 5Land ASTM Specifications
• Practical Aspects of Metallurgical Properties
• Chemistry and Material Test Reports
• Fabrication of Line Pipe and Forged Fittings
• Mechanical Properties: Strength and Toughness

Operating and Design Pressure

• How to Establish the System Design Pressure
• Introduction to Pressure Relief Valves
• Pipe and Pipeline Sizing Formula with Applications

Day 2: Integrity for Sustained Loads

Layout and Support

• Rules of Good Practice in Layout
• Pump and Compressor Piping
• How to Support a Piping System
• Review of Support Types and Their Application
• Lessons Learned from Poor Support Practices

Temperature Effects

• Flexibility Layout Analysis
• Temperature Transients and Fatigue Damage

Vibration in Service

• Mechanical and Hydraulic Induced Vibration in Piping
• How to Measure, Analyze and Resolve Vibration

Day 3: Integrity for Occasional Loads

Pressure Transients

• Recognizing and Solving Liquid Hammer
• Pump Station Transients
• Study of Pipeline Failures Due to Transients
• Two-Phase Liquid-Vapor Transients
• Two-Phase Liquid-Gas Transients
• Gas Discharge Transients

Buried Pipe

• Soil Loads
• Surface Loads
• Expansion of Buried Pipe
• Soil Settlement
• In-Service Movement of Pipeline

Pipeline Failures

• Study of Case Histories
• Understanding Why Failures Occur and How to Avoid Them

Day 4: Material Flaws and Inspections

Welding

• Overview of Pipe and Pipeline Welding Practice
• API 1104 and ASME IX Requirements
• Welding In-Service: Challenge and Solutions

Inspection

• Weld Inspection Techniques
• Pigging Technology: Overview of Utility and Smart Pigs
• Overview of Regulations for In-Line Inspections

Flange and Mechanical Joints

• Overview of Different Types of Flanges and Application
• Gasket and Bolt Selection
• Causes of Flange Leaks and How to Resolve
• Case Study of Flange Failure
• Assembly of Flange Joints and Leak Tightness

Pressure and Leak Testing

• The Difference Between Leak Testing and Pressure Testing
• Review of Different Testing Techniques
• The Purpose of Hydro test
• How to Conduct a Hydro test
• Pipeline and Piping Systems Testing
• Pneumatic Testing

Day 5: Corrosion, Assessment, and Repairs

Corrosion

• Introduction to Practical Corrosion
• Classification of Corrosion Mechanisms
• General Wall Thinning
• Local Corrosion: Galvanic Effects
• Crevice Corrosion
• Pitting Corrosion
• Environmental Effects
• Hydrogen and H2S Effects
• Microbiological Corrosion
• Corrosion Protection
• Cathodic Protection Overview

Mechanical Damage to Pipelines

• Dents and Gouges
• Ripples and Buckles

Fitness-For-Service Overview

• Application of ASME B31G to Determine Remaining Life
• Application of API 579 to General and Local Corrosion
• Analysis of Dents and Gouges in Pipelines
• How to Evaluate Cracks in Piping and Pipelines

Repair Techniques

• The New ASME Repair Standards
• The Fundamentals of Repair Packages
• Pipe and Component Replacement
• Grinding and Welding
• Welded Sleeve: Type A and Type B
• Flush Patch Repair
• Fillet Welded Patch
• Weld Overlay Repair
• Mechanical Clamp with Sealant Injection
• Mechanical Clamp without Sealant Injection
• Insertion Liners
• Painted and Brushed Liners
• Pipe Coating