IBP1436_19

FAILURE IN 30” GAS PIPELINE DUE TO

DEGRADATION OF ITS 3-LAYER POLYETHYLENE
COATING (CASE STUDY),
Andrea Moneta1
Germán Mancuso2

.
Copyright 2019, Brazilian Petroleum, Gas and Biofuels Institute - IBP
This Technical Paper was prepared for presentation at the Rio Pipeline Conference and Exhibition 2019, held
between 03 and 05 of September, in Rio de Janeiro. This Technical Paper was selected for presentation by the
Technical Committee of the event according to the information contained in the final paper submitted by the
author(s). The organizers are not supposed to translate or correct the submitted papers. The material as it is
presented, does not necessarily represent Brazilian Petroleum, Gas and Biofuels Institute’ opinion, or that of its
Members or Representatives. Authors consent to the publication of this Technical Paper in the Rio Pipeline
Conference and Exhibition 2019.

Abstract

The most reliable and commonly used coating in the oil and gas industry is the multi-layer
system mainly made up of polyethylene, which has improved from 2-layer systems of low
density polyethylene to the current 3-layer systems of high and super-high density
polyethylene (3-LPE). We will present the case of a 30” gas pipeline failure caused by
external corrosion due to a generalized degradation of its three-layer polyethylene coating
(belonging to the first generation groups of these coatings) added to the well-known
adherence problem. We will discuss the shortcomings of the standard that governed its
production (DIN 30670-1991), which was later replaced by others that accompanied the
technological development towards coatings with much higher performance levels. The
incident called into question the inability of the continuous actions implemented in the
pipeline integrity and maintenance management to detect the real condition of the pipe.
Monitoring tools (internal inspection, DCVG and potential surveys) had not shown signs of
deterioration processes either in the metal or in its coverage. We will show the field and
cabinet works that were carried out to investigate the mechanism that led to this unexpected
break in a relatively new line (1995). Once the degradation of the coating as the cause of the
breakage was identified, the objective was to determine the extent of that deterioration (length
and affected pipelines). The available tool to perform this determination immediately was the
DCVG, whose main difficulty in conducting the study was the electrical shielding caused by
polyethylene. Adjustments were made in the way of surveying the area with this electrical
method, added to a mapping of DCVG potentials as a contrast to the technique, which
allowed for the defining of research excavation sites that had not been detected in previous
surveys. Finally we will present the results of the tests carried out in those excavations and the
changes in the Integrity Management Program that was generated by this antecedent. All this
process demands a very complex analysis due to the heterogeneity of this gas pipeline system:
a total length of 9000 kilometers, with ages ranging from 60 to 2 years and having all kinds of
coatings (from the oldest coal tar coatings to the most modern 3-LPE, going through all kinds
of epoxy and polyethylene tapes).

Keywords: PET. DIN 30670. DCVG. Cathodic Protection System.

______________________________
1
Chemical Engineer - Transportadora de Gas del Norte
2
Eletronic Engineer – Transportadora de Gas del Norte
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1. Introduction

In recent years TGN's gas pipeline system has registered in its newer lines severe
disbondings of the three-layer coating (3-LPE). The coating of its 9000 km of gas pipelines
has the following distribution:
● 2390 km of asphalt, installed between 1960 and 1980 (28%)
● 1250 km of Polyethylene Tapes, installed in 1981 (15%)
● 564 km of Epoxi (6 %)
● 4911 km 3-layer Polyethylene (3LPE) (51%)

Figura 1. Gas Pipeline System

The fist verification campaign regarding the condition of this kind of coating was
carried out in 2018. This lack of adherence coincided with that which has been recorded
throughout the industry worldwide: extensive lengths of coating that entirely disbond (all the
layers), leaving the metal exposed, without signs of corrosion. However, the first excavations
that were executed in this campaign revealed, in addition to the disbonding, a very different
way of failure: generalized cracking. A few days later there was a pipeline rupture due to
external corrosion a few kilometers downstream on the same 30 "line, where the coating
presented complete degradation (cracking). The pipe had been installed in 1995 with a three-
layer polyethylene (DIN 30670 Standard of 1991) and was submerged in salty groundwater
along several kilometers. Figures 2a and 2b show the rupture point and the condition of the
coating in the adjacent pipes:

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2a 2b

Figures 2a / 2b. Failure due to external corrosion because of degraded coating

Verifications of defects in the Campaigns of the years 2004 and 2011 had reported lack
of adherence in the coating, but without the presence of deterioration or cracking. Figures 3a
and 3b exemplify the cracking dimension found in the area of the break.

3a 3b

Figures 3a / 3b. 3-LPE Cracked

2. Sizing of the Problem / Damage

After the rupture, it was necessary to quickly program tasks that allowed sizing the
geographic scope of the deterioration, in order to restore the pipe to service. The first research
surveys showed that the area affected by the degradation of the coating reached several
kilometers of extension and was not only limited to places with submerged pipe in the salt
groundwater. The tool / technique that could be implemented immediately was the DCVG,
but it was known that the great limitation of the method is the shielding that causes a
disbonded three-layer coating. The year before a study of this type had been carried out in the
area and had not produced results that could have alerted about this serious situation. Many
questions were raised in relation to this lack of indications of this DCVG:
…was it valid to repeat the survey?
…considering the state that the coating was found, was it possible to have no
indications a year before?

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… considering the coating condition, would it be possible to center and quantify an

indication?
…would the coating have shielded the DCVG (electrical) signal when the adhesive
layer was still full, as we had found in the area of the breakage?
…would the area have been without water and the lining has not been critically
degraded? ...
… had they been done by reliable and qualified staff?
… was current injection V (PON-POFF) adequate to expose the indications?

2.1. Strategy Applied to New DCVG Survey

Based on what was found after the break, it was necessary to advance the planned
internal inspection (ILI), to identify other potential areas of severe corrosion, determine
changes / repairs of pipes and establish the aptitude for service, but this would take between 2
and 4 months between running the tool and having the first results. Therefore, it was decided
to perform a new DCVG survey. This should give certainty in its results and traceability of its
execution since it is a very dependent operator technique. It was necessary to clarify as much
as possible the questions previously exposed.
Two main premises were established, which resulted in changes in the boundary
conditions in which the DCVG survey should be execute:

● V (PON-POFF) > 500mV in all kilometric markers. It was intended to make all
potential coating faults electrically visible on the surface. In the zone, TGN operates
three 30 "pipes that run parallel and are cathodically protected by a single printed
current system. The injection values were readjusted and the current of these units
was derived only to the pipeline object of the survey. Average values of VDCVG were
obtained between 800mV and 1000mV, when the previous minimum requirement was
250mV.

● Potential Profile Record VDCVG in each gradient measurement location. As

mentioned earlier, the DCVG technique is very dependent on the operator. Potential
gradient measurements are usually not recorded as the pipe progresses (step by step).
In order to give more certainty and have a record of the measured gradients, a
potential profile ΔVDCVG was performed at each gradient measurement site (related to
the starting point) at the same time as the DCVG survey. The tool was a datalogger
like the one used in CIS. This allowed to have a quasi-continuous record of the ΔV
values in the pipe during the survey that had to be correlated with what the operator
reported and / or detected. The higher ΔV (and constant) values correspond to areas
where the gradients are very low or zero (no DCVG indications). On the contrary, in
the areas where the ΔV values decrease, they coincide with the presence of DCVG
indications and should be informed. Figure 4 shows the result obtained in the area of
the blowout where the correspondence can be seen.

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DCVG indications

DCVG Potencial Profile (VDCVG)

V (PON-POFF)
DV (PON-POFF )

Figure 4. DCVG combined with ΔVDCVG

The gain of a device is related to the amplifiers of the measurement channels of the
instrument. In a DCVG equipment, the gain quality is much higher than the gain of a
datalogger. That´s why the DCVG indications with low IxR typically less than 10%, are not
so clearly visible in the "ΔVDCVG Potential Profile". This Profile allowed us to verify and give
traceability to what was reported by the operator and locate the main DCVG indications that
were manifested on the surface.

2.2. DCVG Survey Results and Excavations Findings

The rupture occurred at PK 160+300 in the limit of an area of low resistivity <1,500
Ω-cm (measured in 2012). Therefore, it was decided to carry out the emergency DCVG
survey in an area with similar characteristics, 7 km between the PK-160 and 167. Figure 5
shows a detail of the rupture zone and the area where the DCVG study was carried out. The
general results are shown in Table 1.
Table 1. Results of the new DCVG survey

PK %IR 0-15 %IR 16-35 %IR 36-60 %IR 61-100

160 to 161 5 4 5 --
161 to 162 7 2 -- --
162 to 163 8 1 -- --
163 to 164 3 -- -- --
164 to 165 3 -- -- --
165 to 166 9 -- -- --

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DCVG
(after rupture)

Rupture

Figure 5. New DCVG in the rupture zone

The most important DCVG indications (in% IxR) were detected in the first kilometers
(from PK-160 to 162) and then the severity was low, although the terrain maintained very low
resistivity values <1,500 Ω-cm. 87% of the indications categorized between 0-15% IxR did
not exceed 5% IxR.

Confirmatory Excavations

Based on the DCVG results, 11 verification wells were carried out that not only
covered the most severe DCVG indications reported, but also indications of 2% and 0.3% of
IxR. In 100% of the cases the coating had no adhesion and also had different degrees of
cracking or deterioration, being more important in the vicinity of the rupture area. Only one of
them revealed active corrosion with material loss of 50% of the wall thickness (IxR of 48%).
The pipe was replaced. Figures 6 a / b / c show the results and findings of some of the wells:

6a 6b 6c

Figures 6 a/b/c. Cracked coating (48%IR) with deep and active corrosion (50% depth)

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7a 7b

Figures 7 a/b.Cracked coating (47%IR) without severe corrosion

8a 8b

Figures 8 a/b. Cracking in progress (30%IR), without any adherence

Excavations were also executed in sectors where no DCVG indications were recorded
and the cracking pattern was also present. Even the holiday detector shows no discontinuities
in some of these cases. In spite of the cracked and disbonded coating, it was found that most
of the cracking was in the outer layer while the adhesive remained as a unit isolating the metal
from the electrolyte. Only in those places where the adhesive layer was also broken the
DCVG technique (applied in the conditions described above) allowed to locate and center the
fault. This explains why the DCVG Survey did not detect infinite indications or commonly
called "continuous-failure" with a totally damaged coating.
The internal inspection (ILI) also confirmed that there were no metal losses greater than
25% (10% average) where DCVG survey detected 0-15% IxR. There was no metal loss
reported by ILI in the rest of the DCVG indications (the PC worked). On the other hand, the
material losses reported by the ILI were consistent with the disbonded coating and with its
consequent shielding (the DCVG did not report them).

3. Laboratory Tests and Failure Hypothesis

During the field verifications both soil and coating samples were taken to be analyzed in
the laboratory. The coating samples were classified among those that had been overlapped
under the heat-shrinkable sleeves, HSS, (indicated as BM) and those of intermediate zones in
contact with the soil (indicated as M).The coating under the HSS, although it had a lack of
adhesion, did not present the cracking that was registered in the rest of the pipe (Figure 9).
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Figure 9. Different behavior of the coating under the heat-shrinkable sleeves

Laboratory results confirmed the aforementioned difference between the samples: the
coating in contact with the soil presented more impoverished properties than the one under the
sleeve. Infrared spectroscopy showed that the coating that was in contact with the soil flooded
in saline water (Fig. 10a) showed dissolution of some additives that were present in the
coating protected by the HSS (Figure 10, b).

Figures 10 a / b. Infrared spectroscopy of degraded coating (a) and sample under HSS (b)

The cracked coating sample showed a higher deflection temperature than the sample
under the HSS, which could indicate a stiffening of the material due to the loss of additives.
The study of mechanical behavior in flexion confirmed this stiffening as shown in Figure 11.

Figure 11. Different bending behavior of the coating under HSS

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The results obtained for the samples of coating under the HSS were coincident with
values measured in polyethylene of low density, while the coating exposed to the soil
registered an accelerated degradation. This allowed us to formulate the hypothesis that the
coating had exceeded its useful life (aging). When it was submerged and in contact with the
ground, certain additives dissolved, which caused cracking. As this cracked coating was found
in a soil categorized as "very corrosive" and the Cathodic Protection was shielded, there was
an accelerated increase in the corrosion rate, giving rise to this catastrophic failure.

4. Re-adaptation of the Integrity Program

Although work had already begun on the detection of areas with desbonded 3-LPE,
new activities had to be incorporated into the Integrity Program and existing ones expanded:

- CIS and DCVG surveys in full sections with Low Density 3-LPE coating.
- Campaign for verification of coating defects with sampling in all those sections that
were installed with coating Standard DIN 30670/1991.
- Laboratory analysis of all the samples taken in the field, which will allow the creation
of a database to try to predict the level of degradation of this type of coating.
- Modification of internal inspections frequency.
- Modification of the Recoating Plan.

5. Conclusions

This gas pipeline rupture forced a major change in the Integrity Program due to the
appearance of a new failure mechanism in our three-layer extruded polyethylene coatings.
This cracking by degradation was added to the worldwide known problem of disbonding with
shelding. Apparently this degradation process is limited to low density polyethylenes
manufactured with vintage standards. DIN 30670-1991 was exceeded by others standards
that accompanied the technological development in the coatings industry. In this process of
deterioration, the environment has exerted an indisputable influence, although it was not the
only factor. Low polyethylene density, low thicknesses, lack of requirements on the basic
components and few quality tests, are other factors that have caused this low coatings
performance.
Will current standards be able to overcome (or at least to achieve) the expected life of
45 years for 3-LPE-coatings?
Another great challenge that is projected in the future is to have a tool that allows to
identify and accurately dimension of the disbonded coating. Through this work, we have
shared the difficult task of identifying the sites with degradation in order to define the coating
change, which is the definitive mitigation measure that was decided to be implemented in
response to the problem.

6. References

INTEMA, Failure Analysis, 00-INF MAT 0022 TGN, Rev.01, March 2019.