PIPELINE Integrity

Regulations drive technology

New rules prompt new inspection
tools that can help operators
This tool was designed to find large dents or

maintain compliance and pipeline

buckles in big-inch pipelines that are often the

integrity.
result of poorly laid pipe during construction
(Figure 1).

Larry Payne,
T.D. Williamson, Inc., Tulsa, Oklahoma
n 2001, the Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS)
These early geometry tools utilized mechanical
sensors and analog charts. The distance measure-
ments were recorded at a scale of one-thousandths
of an inch. Therefore, it was very difficult to pre-
cisely locate and determine the true geometry of

I introduced new rules and regulations requir-

ing liquid pipeline owners and operators to
inspect their lines for defects which could cause
failures in high consequence areas.
The OPS further expanded this requirement
to include natural gas pipeline systems late last
year. Following are a few excerpts affecting
pipeline operators and addressing assessment and
dent anomalies:
• “…A pipeline operator must assess the
integrity of the line pipe by (a) internal
inspection tool or tools capable of detecting
corrosion and deformation anomalies,
dents and buckles.
It was not uncommon to find buckles in the
lower quadrant of large-diameter pipe that
Figure 1. Developed in the late 1960s, the
KALIPER® pig was designed to find large
dents or buckles in big-inch pipelines.
measured 3 to 4 inches in depth. Usually, these
were found in the 6 o’clock position, and were the
result of poor ditch padding, failure to remove
support skids, or inadequate sand bag support.
This simple tool, at the time, eventually resulted
in improved methods to lay new pipelines. In
fact, most newly constructed pipelines today use
geometry inspection pigs as an internal assess-
ment method to confirm proper pipeline con-
struction (Figure 2).

Figure 2. Today, operators often use

including dents, gouges and grooves; (b) Through time and technology development,

geometry inspection pigs to confirm

pressure test conducted in accordance with
subpart E of this rule; or (c) other technology
that the operator demonstrates can provide
an equivalent understanding of the condition
of the line pipe.”
• “…Immediate repair conditions include dents
on top of the pipe above the 4 and 8 o’clock
positions with any indicated metal loss.”
• “…In 60 days, the operator must repair all
dents on the top of the pipe. And on a six-
month schedule, dents greater than 6 percent
of pipe diameter.”
• “…The pipeline operator must establish
intervals not to exceed five years for continual
assessment. Prioritizing the lines based on
requirements of the rules.”
Because of the specific nature of the OPS
rules, pipeline inspection companies either are
developing or already have developed technologies
to provide owners and operators with the tools
necessary to meet these requirements.
Some of the first internal inspection pigs were
designed to find dents in pipelines. In fact, it was
the result of a northern crude oil company’s
request of an industry pig provider that the first
geometry inspection tool called a caliper, or
KALIPER®, pig was designed and developed in late
1969 by T.D. Williamson, Inc. of Tulsa, Oklahoma.
the industry has seen the benefits of precisely siz-
ing and locating much smaller reductions, as well
as identifying the o’clock positioning of these
small dents. This was necessitated by the fact that
small dents with metal loss are more apt to fail, in
contrast to larger dents that are two percent of
pipeline diameter or greater, without associated
metal loss. This shows the need to be more exact in
finding anomalies, and the related need to develop
new or improved technology.
The KALIPER pig has evolved from being a
buckle detection tool to being a tool that locates
and describes dents as small as 1⁄4-in. Also, bend
detection and bend sizing became a common
request from operators. In fact, the names of these
tools are changing as well. For example, deforma-
tion tools find small anomalies in pipelines by
using multiple sensors, spaced no more than 1-in.
apart. These sensors ride directly on the internal
pipe wall, as opposed to the fingers of the pig rid-
ing on the inside of a cup. These sensors detect and
record movement to the hundredths (.01) of an
inch while tracking the “clock” positioning of
dents and direction changes at all times (Figure 3).
Furthermore, these tools carry onboard gyro-
scopes to plot X and Y movement and use a com-
bination of odometers and time-based systems to
provide the Z dimension for exact distance loca-
proper pipeline construction.
tion. Software designers utilize the various inputs
to display lifelike features of the reductions that
compare with those seen in the ditch during field
verifications.
In addition to deformation tools, the magnetic
flux leakage (MFL) principle is another technology
that has been greatly improved over the last 10
years. Advancements include the use of “hall-
effect” versus “coil” sensors. Hall-effect sensors
measure the actual magnetic field, whereas coil
sensors only measure a change in the field.
Measuring the magnetization level is important to
ensure the pipe wall has been adequately magnet-
ized. Data quality can be adversely affected if
proper levels are not achieved. Some MFL tools
have employed hall sensors to improve resolution
by as much as 50%. Enhanced data acquisition by
the additional sensors vastly improves the
accuracy of calculated defect dimensions.
Additional improvements include upgraded elec-
tronics to handle the numerous additional sensor
inputs. Moreover, in order to handle the increase
in data being recorded, storage capacity has also
been expanded, from megabytes to gigabytes.

24 • November/December 2004 PipeLine and Gas Technology


Figure 3. Some of the latest caliper pigs have sensors
that ride directly on the internal pipe wall, allowing
them to locate and describe dents as small as 1⁄4-in.
Figure 4. Transverse magnetic flux leakage technol-
ogy can find defects which are narrow in nature and
oriented along the axis of the pipe body.
Copyright, Hart Publications, 4545 Post Oak Place, Ste. 210, Houston,TX 77027 USA (713)993-9320, Fax (713) 840-8585
Research into other applica-
tions for the MFL principle eventu-
ally led to what has become known
as transverse magnetic flux leakage
(TMFL) technology. TMFL applies
the magnetic field circumferentially
versus axially. Defects which are
narrow in nature and oriented
along the axis of the pipe body are
detected and reported using this
technique. Examples of defects
include long narrow axial corrosion
and seam-weld defects (Figure 4).
To fully meet OPS require-
ments for identifying dents with
metal loss, operators must use
deformation tools combined with
MFL tools. In the past, this
required two separate tool runs
with data compared or overlaid to
determine dents with metal loss.
Today, we see combination tools
capable of gathering both data sets
during a single run. This eliminates
the need to track two separate pig
PIPELINE Integrity
runs, reducing lost revenue and minimizing com-
plex operational procedures.
While some of the updates to the technologies
discussed here were initiated prior to implemen-
tation of the Federal Regulations, others are a
direct result of the Gas and Liquid Rules. The
implications are that in-line inspection compa-
nies will continue their efforts to improve tech-
nologies that assist pipeline operators and owners
with their task of maintaining pipeline integrity.
Why did the Office of Pipeline Safety establish
these requirements? Put simply, to protect
people and the environment and keep our
pipeline infrastructure operating safely. Why do
pipeline owners and operators comply with these
requests? To protect their valuable pipeline asset
as well as avoid costly shutdowns and repairs.
Why do companies invest in inspection equip-
ment? Because it is an established market that
needs to be served, and doing so generates profit
for growth that employs people in the process.
This is driving companies to enhance existing
and develop new technology to meet these
requirements as precisely and as economically
as possible. ✣