Girth welds are an essential part of every transmission pipeline. With much of the pipeline system in the United States having been installed before 1970, concerns may exist with some pipeline companies regarding the integrity of vintage girth welds. While it is true that the failure rate in the United States attributed to vintage girth welds (based on information reported to the authorities) have not been widespread, ranging from 2.1% to 8% depending on how the data is interpreted (cf. PRCI Report PR-335-094502, 2010), operators recognize that they cannot be complacent as their infrastructure...
Girth welds are an essential part of every transmission pipeline. With much of the pipeline system in the United States having been installed before 1970, concerns may exist with some pipeline companies regarding the integrity of vintage girth welds. While it is true that the failure rate in the United States attributed to vintage girth welds (based on information reported to the authorities) have not been widespread, ranging from 2.1% to 8% depending on how the data is interpreted (cf. PRCI Report PR-335-094502, 2010), operators recognize that they cannot be complacent as their infrastructure ages and they should continue to look for alternatives to conventional repair and replacement options that continue to ensure integrity. Measurement and comparison of the performance of composite systems to repair pipeline girth welds with perceived imperfections is included within this report. Defective girth welds are considered an integrity concern to some pipeline operators. The concern may be simply a result of questions regarding the quality of a given girth weld or they may arise from the specific operating conditions of the pipeline and/or some combination of both. Generally, the study has shown that composite repair sleeve can restore the integrity of the pipeline.