Session: DA-02-02 Design & Analysis of Piping and Components - 2

Paper Number: 105832

105832 - Prci Burst Pressure Model Modernization and Performance 

The Pipeline Research Council International (PRCI) contracted development and deployment of a burst pressure prediction tool in 2001, embodied in CorLAS^TM V2.0. Since that time, many North American operators have made this tool an integral part of their integrity management processes with excellent track records for both effectiveness and efficiency. Even though the PRCI burst model targeted pipe body stress corrosion cracking, operators have found the model performs equally well for discrete crack-like features associated with long-seam welds, and highly versatile in estimating burst pressures of irregular shaped crack-likes reported by both in-line inspection tools and field non-destructive evaluations. The question is: can application of the model evolve to address emerging threats and trends?

As the pipeline industry transitions away from Charpy V-Notch energy as a low fidelity fracture toughness surrogate, Enbridge has repackaged the PRCI burst model to accept K toughness directly, and referred to as KorLAS herein to denote K input built on legacy CorLAS equations and empiricism. KorLAS performance over the tested range of flaw dimensions, pipe steel toughness, wall thicknesses, crack morphology, and crack shape are assessed and compared to test and forensic data.

The pipeline industry has emerging technologies which are able to detect, size, and report selective seam weld corrosion (SSWC) features. The predicted burst pressures of SSWC features have historically been difficult to predict. A reasonable and prudent tailored KorLAS input method to assess SSWC fitness for service is presented.

KorLAS performance at lower toughness has been difficult to validate or judge due to the scarcity of available test data. Test data now made available to the public allows tentative envelope expansion down to about the 10^th percentile toughness observed in North American vintage line pipe. Although cold welds can be problematic to detect, KorLAS performance in assessment of cold welds is evaluated against available test data.  

Presenting Author: Ernest Kwok Stantec Inc.

Presenting Author Biography: Ernest Kwok...

Authors:

Lyndon Lamborn Enbridge LP
Ernest Kwok Stantec Inc.
Steven Polasik DNV
Benjamin Hanna DNV