NETL Plastic Pipes Project - Final Report

Plastic or composite pipelines have been the bane of the utility locating industry because conduits are neither conductive nor magnetic, which are the properties traditionally used to locate buried utilities. Ground penetrating radar (GPR) is an effective geophysical tool for locating plastic/composite pipeline where the resistive cover allows for adequate penetration of radar energy. However, GPR cannot be used in areas where the soil cover is conductive due to significant clay and/or salt content. This study takes a comprehensive look at near-surface geophysical methods that potentially are useful for locating buried plastic/composite pipelines, either singly or in combination with other geophysical methods. Specifically, this modeling study uses computational numerical methods to forward model the response of GPR, resistivity, seismic, and gravity gradiometry methods to plastic/composite pipelines for various scenarios including: (1) pipe diameters ranging between 2 in. to 12 in.; (2) burial depths ranging between 3 ft to 4 ft; (3) various degrees in contrast in physical properties (i.e., permittivity, elasticity, electrical resistivity, density); and (4) various experimental acquisition choices (e.g., GPR radar frequencies, seismic source frequency, electrode spacing).

• Record URL:
  • https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/matrix/FilGet.rdm?fil=19199
• Record URL:
  • https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/matrix/FilGet.rdm?fil=17494
• Summary URL:
  • https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/matrix/PrjHome.rdm?prj=926&s=705E7F58948E45FF90F8B457F455DD58&c=1
• Corporate Authors:

  Department of Energy

  National Energy Technology Laboratory, 626 Cochrans Mill Road
  Pittsburgh, PA  United States  15236

  Colorado School of Mines

  Department of Geophysics and Geophysical Engineering
  Golden, CO  United States  8041

  Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

  1200 Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Shragge, Jeffrey
  • Girard, Aaron
  • Flamme, Hanna
  • Artman, Bradley
  • Krahenbuhl, Richard
  • Bradford, John
  • Kumar, Abhash
  • Reppert, Phillip
  • Hammack, Richard
  • Glaser, Danney
• Publication Date: 2023-7

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 123p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Detection and identification technologies; Ground penetrating radar; Plastic pipe; Resistivity method
• Subject Areas: Maintenance and Preservation; Pipelines;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01907856
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: DOE/NETL-2022/3286
• Contract Numbers: 693JK321N000006
• Files: TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Feb 12 2024 10:31AM