The primary objectives of this study was to conduct a performance evaluation of current technologies for detection and discrimination of mechanical damage using improved in-ditch tools, with the objective of minimizing errors for in field validation/measurement of dents. This research is an important part of providing the pipeline industry with an improved understanding of the capabilities of current ILI technologies to detect and discriminate mechanical damage features. The following tasks were executed to minimize errors in field validations of dents:
The project involved the development of improved in ditch measurement procedures for mechanical damage features using hand-held 3-D laser imaging systems in a controlled setting and verification of the procedures using calibration blocks and a range of inspection personnel. After verification in a controlled setting, the standardized in-ditch inspection protocols were applied and validated through access to field digs, in-ditch measurement, and correlating the data to the in-line inspection (ILI) tool run data (Magnetic Flux Leakage/Geometry Combo Tool) for an in-service pipeline contributed for the study.
The study has confirmed that in-ditch inspection of dents using 3-D laser imaging is a viable method to confirm ILI data and to provide a comparison of the predictions of ILI strain measurements with those measured in the field with a high-resolution NDE technology and standardized method. Continued use of the protocols developed for in ditch dent profiling for strain calculations and correlating with ILI data will further confirm the application of the methods and potentially lead to standardization of the protocols for the pipeline industry.
The Final Report is currently under review by PRCI members and can be accessed in PRIME.