Unsupported branch connections or branch connections under loads due to unstable support conditions are an integrity threat and potential failure location in pipelines. No industry accepted method currently exists to assist operators in identifying problematic branch connections in a measurably-reliable way. Low field magnetic flux leakage (LF-MFL) offers one potential method to identify stressed sections of pipeline. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the ability of LF-MFL in-line inspection (ILI) technology to characterize loading conditions around branch connections and to validate...
Unsupported branch connections or branch connections under loads due to unstable support conditions are an integrity threat and potential failure location in pipelines. No industry accepted method currently exists to assist operators in identifying problematic branch connections in a measurably-reliable way. Low field magnetic flux leakage (LF-MFL) offers one potential method to identify stressed sections of pipeline. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the ability of LF-MFL in-line inspection (ILI) technology to characterize loading conditions around branch connections and to validate the use of LF-MFL ILI to identify stressed branch connections. The results of this work will provide operators with guidance for using LF-MFL ILI tools to identify integrity threats.