1. NACE International Calgary Section
Analysis of Pipeline Failures versus Pipeline Failure Analysis?
David Richardson, P.Eng.
smart-Project Management Inc.
Technical Luncheon
November 21, 2014

3. Analysis of Pipeline Failures versus Pipeline Failure Analysis?
Scope of study
What failure analysis has taught us
What analysis of failures can teach us
Improved pipeline performance is immediately available

4. Upstream gathering systems
Analysis of Pipeline Failures versus Pipeline Failure Analysis?
1. Scope of study
Internal Corrosion
Upstream gathering systems
Status Operating
Bare Steel
OE / NG / SNG

5. Analysis of Pipeline Failures versus Pipeline Failure Analysis?
1. Scope of study
Our inventory
220,000 km U/S/O/NG/SNG/OE
460,000 km AER licenses

6. Analysis of Pipeline Failures versus Pipeline Failure Analysis?
1. Scope of study
Our performance – 12,000 IC failure events

7. GATHERING SYSTEMS

8. TRANSPORTATION / TRANSMISSION

9. (operational and financial)
Analysis of Pipeline Failures versus Pipeline Failure Analysis?
2. What failure analysis has taught us
typical top-10 bad actor
Desired outcomes
(operational and financial)
are not being achieved

10. Analysis of Pipeline Failures versus Pipeline Failure Analysis?
2. What failure analysis has taught us
Three root cause contributors common to all IC failure events
1. Incomplete characterization of corrosive environment
2. Mitigation performed is not aligned to the actual corrosive environment
3. Corrosion damage not found and repaired prior to failure event
Good news derived from failure analysis –
the agenda is firmly established for guiding the industry towards improving pipeline performance

11. 1. Incomplete characterization of corrosive environment
Analysis of Pipeline Failures versus Pipeline Failure Analysis?
1. Incomplete characterization of corrosive environment
3. What analysis of failures can teach us
the “corrosion triangle”

12. 1. Incomplete characterization of corrosive environment
Analysis of Pipeline Failures versus Pipeline Failure Analysis?
What analysis of failures can teach us
1. Incomplete characterization of corrosive environment
irrefutable data patterns from 12,000 events provide guidance for future pipeline integrity management

13. 1. Incomplete characterization of corrosive environment
Analysis of Pipeline Failures versus Pipeline Failure Analysis?
1. Incomplete characterization of corrosive environment
3. What analysis of failures can teach us
Part 1: delivery of production from upstream well(s)
Part 2: pH profile vs time
Part 3: location within Alberta

14. 1. Incomplete characterization of corrosive environment
Analysis of Pipeline Failures versus Pipeline Failure Analysis?
What analysis of failures can teach us
Part 1: delivery of production from upstream well(s)
1. Incomplete characterization of corrosive environment
application of a set of complex queries assigns a percentile score for all 350,000 UWI events in AB

15. 1. Incomplete characterization of corrosive environment
Analysis of Pipeline Failures versus Pipeline Failure Analysis?
What analysis of failures can teach us
Part 2A: pH profile vs time – “Grade 9?”
1. Incomplete characterization of corrosive environment
“grade 9”
characterize if water-film can sufficiently move water to prevent localized low pH traps
factors
is shear-stress sufficient to move water
is mechanical pigging moving water
is water separation causing stagnant traps

16. 1. Incomplete characterization of corrosive environment
Analysis of Pipeline Failures versus Pipeline Failure Analysis?
8 year corrosion rate
(not a 22 year corrosion rate)
UWI SCORE 0.97
1. Incomplete characterization of corrosive environment
Part 2B: pH profile vs time – (expected corrosion rate)
is there a source of low pH fluids from UWI
when will the exposure occur / has the exposure occurred
what is water transport at time of detrimental UWI
stagnant “Grade 9” or solution-by-dilution
establish the expected maximum corrosion rate
not necessarily deWaard & Milliams (NACE)

17. 1. Incomplete characterization of corrosive environment
Part 1: examination of pipeline performance patterns
AB – All Pipelines
Operating / Bare Steel / NG / SNG / OE
Count Segments: ,000

18. 1. Incomplete characterization of corrosive environment
Part 1: examination of pipeline performance patterns
AB – IC Failure Events (pre-1980)
Operating / Bare Steel / NG / SNG / OE
Total IC Count: 540

19. 1. Incomplete characterization of corrosive environment
Part 1: examination of pipeline performance patterns
AB – IC Failure Events (pre-1990)
Operating / Bare Steel / NG / SNG / OE
Total IC Count: 3,629 (3,089 incremental)

20. 1. Incomplete characterization of corrosive environment
Part 1: examination of pipeline performance patterns
AB – IC Failure Events (pre-2000)
Operating / Bare Steel / NG / SNG / OE
Total IC Count: 8,519 (4,920 incremental)

21. 1. Incomplete characterization of corrosive environment
Part 1: examination of pipeline performance patterns
AB – IC Total Count Failure Events
Operating / Bare Steel / NG / SNG / OE
Count Failure Events: 12,100 (3,551 incremental)

22. 1. Incomplete characterization of corrosive environment
400
> 75 % of all IC failures (9,100) located within 5 special zones
1,150
AB – IC Total Count Failure Events
Operating / Bare Steel / NG / SNG / OE
2,200
2,200
Age-at-IC-Failure for Segments with IC Failure (years):
NG 9.2
SNG 6.9
OE 8.6
3,200

23. 1. Incomplete characterization of corrosive environment
Part 1: examination of pipeline performance patterns
AB – Non-IC Failure Events
Operating / Bare Steel / NG / SNG / OE
Count TWNSHP with Operating Pipelines: 4,316
Count TWNSHP with NIL Failure Events: 3,084 (72%)

24. 1. Incomplete characterization of corrosive environment
Analysis of Pipeline Failures versus Pipeline Failure Analysis?
Improved pipeline performance is immediately available
1. Incomplete characterization of corrosive environment
3. What analysis of failures can teach us
Application stories

25. Analysis of Pipeline Failures versus Pipeline Failure Analysis?
Improved pipeline performance is immediately available
Rapid Success

26. Analysis of Pipeline Failures versus Pipeline Failure Analysis?
Improved pipeline performance is immediately available
1. Incomplete characterization of corrosive environment
2. Mitigation performed is not aligned to the actual corrosive environment
3. Corrosion damage not found and repaired prior to failure event
Benefits to all Elements of Integrity Management

27. Analysis of Pipeline Failures versus Pipeline Failure Analysis?
Improved pipeline performance is immediately available
Publication of Mitigation Guidelines
competitive “directives” are no longer accepted
Field, Operations create line-by-line mitigation program by applying their intelligence of the operating system

28. Analysis of Pipeline Failures versus Pipeline Failure Analysis?
Improved pipeline performance is immediately available
ILI Correlation –
288 actual ILI log samples
UWI = 0.01
UWI = 0.98
95% match defects > 50% wall loss
8 events under-estimated
all critical misses at Zama field

29. Analysis of Pipeline Failures versus Pipeline Failure Analysis?
Improved pipeline performance is immediately available
present state & projected state
5x increase in annual failures anticipated within 10 years

30. Analysis of Pipeline Failures versus Pipeline Failure Analysis?
Improved pipeline performance is immediately available
present state & projected state

31.
“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” 
L. d’Vinci