PRCI PR-185-9831

L51840e

Edison Welding Institute

$2,500/year Lease for 1 license/copy or Corporate Unlimited Lease for $5,000/year
Need: During construction of oil and gas pipelines in the U.S. and Canada, the girth welds are required to be inspected for defects per regulatory requirements. The girth weld acceptance criteria are based either on workmanship or on alternative acceptance criteria provided in referenced standards. The alternative acceptance criteria allow operators to assess the fitness for service of a girth weld. The benefits of employing the fitness-for-service assessment include the reduction of repairs due to overly conservative workmanship standards as well as the ability to Accurately discriminate between a deleterious and non-deleterious flaw.

Benefit: The alternative acceptance criteria in the current API 1104 Appendix A largely reflect late 1970s and early 1980s technology and understanding, and have remained relatively unchanged. This work is part of the effort within PRCI to develop updated engineering critical assessment (ECA) procedures that set more precise and consistent defect acceptance criteria for modern materials and construction practice. The project produced two key deliverables: 1. A suite of software modules that enable easy computation of defect acceptance levels per API 1104 Appendix A, CSA Z662 Appendix K, and EPRG Guidelines. 2. More precise girth weld ECA procedures that incorporate a number of important features, such as weld strength mismatch and material strain-hardening effects.

Result: The results of this project are first intended for PRCI membership. They also provide the technical basis for the revision of relevant codes, such as API 1104 appendix A and CSA Z662 Appendix K. Indeed, CSA has already adopted some results from this project. For U.S. operators, further cost savings can be realized when the results are adopted by API and accepted by DOT.

Product Details

Published:

11/24/2003

Number of Pages:

82

File Size:

1 file , 3 MB