Slow Crack Growth Evaluation of Vintage Polyethylene Pipes

The primary objective of this project was to provide an integrated set of quantitative tools that provide a structured approach to evaluating the latent risk in vintage polyethylene pipes, such as Aldyl-A, that are common in gas distribution systems. Secondary objectives were: first, to provide a fitness for service approach that can support replacement prioritization; second, to utilize data from multiple sources such as in ditch condition assessment and leak records; third, to provide a means to access the pipe in a congested urban environment. The insights developed from this body of work were not available to regulators and operators prior to this work, which has provided a structured set of tools for assessing the fitness for service of vintage polyethylene pipelines in gas distribution systems. The models developed in this project are comprehensive probabilistic risk models that can be fully integrated into enterprise decision support systems and used to prioritize replacement programs, provide system integrity reports and assist operators in identifying future integrity related problems in their systems. The prototype endoscopic tools have the potential to fundamentally change how integrity data can be gathered to feed improved risk models for vintage pipeline systems. A detailed list of potential follow-on work is provided in the body of the report.

• Record URL:
  https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/matrix/FilGet.rdm?fil=11680&s=CAC8CF221D2143B2ABB6524C05BF6D25
• Summary URL:
  https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/matrix/PrjHome.rdm?prj=643&s=CAC8CF221D2143B2ABB6524C05BF6D25
• Corporate Authors:

  Gas Technology Institute

  1700 South Mount Prospect Road
  Des Plaines, IL  United States  60018

  Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

  Department of Transportation
  East Building, 2nd Floor, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Lever, Ernest
• Publication Date: 2017-10-3

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Bibliography; Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 383p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Data collection; Decision support systems; Gas pipelines; Inspection equipment; Risk analysis
• Uncontrolled Terms: Pipeline integrity management; Pipeline replacement; Polyethylene pipe; Probabilistic models
• Subject Areas: Maintenance and Preservation; Pipelines;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01655611
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: DOT Project No. 643
• Contract Numbers: DTPH5615T00007
• Files: TRIS, ATRI, USDOT
• Created Date: Jan 1 2018 5:22PM