Today’s pipeline industry is facing new and growing challenges to keep aging infrastructure operational and transition to emerging fuels such as hydrogen and carbon dioxide. Existing carbon steel pipelines, often in use past their intended service lives, are not ideal for transporting these emerging fuels due to their susceptibility to hydrogen embrittlement and corrosion. The use of spoolable composite pipelines as either free-standing pipelines or in repurposing existing steel pipelines as pull-through liners will be an integral part of this transition. A current gap in the use of spoolable composite pipelines are commercially available non-destructive examination technologies and monitoring methods. This work begins to bridge this gap by reviewing current and future integrity management practices for composite pipelines. This includes considerations over the entire pipe life cycle from design and qualification testing, installation, and operation. Results from an inspection and monitoring test program are presented for microwave, fiberoptic, and acoustic emissions technologies. The feasibility of implementing these technologies is also discussed. The end goal of this research is to promote the growth of composite pipelines through improved integrity management practices.
Location: Building 19, Level 3, Hall 1-2.
Director of Destructive Testing at Advintegrity