ILI Based Dent Screening and Strain Based Analysis

Katina Tinacos, Pablo Cazenave, Ming Gao, Ravi Krishnamurthy

Blade Energy Partners
Houston, Texas, USA




Dan Seman, Charley Jones
Marathon Pipe Line LLC
Findlay, Ohio, USA






ABSTRACT
Pipeline operators often deal with the large numbers of dents
that require further consideration, and are required to prioritize
these dents for further investigation and repair. Code guidance
is clear on the relative severity of dents based on a depth or
associated with welds, corrosion, gouging or cracking. It
allows the pipeline operators to prioritize their dig lists and
limit the number of investigative digs by omitting plain and
shallow dents. However, the dent depth criterion has
limitations, experiences learned in the past have shown that a
dent prioritization based on depth alone, may still leave a
significant number of dents in the pipeline which may pose a
threat, particularly from local static strain and fatigue.
In recent years, strain and fatigue analyses have been included
in the assessment of severity of dents in order to better
prioritize and effectively repair dents which represent a threat
to the structural integrity of pipelines. However, strain
analyses require tedious calculation of dent curvature at each
data point from ILI reported dent profile. When a large
numbers of dents require to be prioritized by strain severity,
using this detail calculation is impractical. Therefore, a
screening methodology is required to reliably identify
candidate dents that require detail strain assessment.
In this paper, an aspect-ratio based screening methodology is
developed and applied to over 7,000 dents reported by an In-
Line Inspection (ILI) caliper tool for a 265 miles long pipeline
section. A total of 263 shallow dents which could have
injurious strain level were identified and ranked for detail
strain and fatigue calculations.
In-ditch investigation of 20 dents with LaserScan profiling
showed that the developed screening methodology provides an
effective tool to capture all the dents with strain equal and
6.5% at 95% confidence level.
INTRODUCTION
Marathon Pipe Line LLC inspected their 24-inch and 265
miles crude oil pipeline with an In-Line Inspection (ILI) tool,
namely, Magnetic Flux Leakage (MFL)/Geometry combo in
2009. The pipeline was commissioned in 1974 and has a high
diameter/wall thickness ratio (D/t = 96).
The ILI inspection

[1] reported 7339 deformations. Out of
them, 164 were associated with metal loss. Most of dents were
shallow, for example, 6059 dent with depth 1%, and 73% of
them located at bottom side of the pipeline. Table 1
summarizes the distribution of deformations determined by
ILI.
1 Copyright 2012 by ASME
Proceedings of the 2012 9th International Pipeline Conference
IPC2012
September 24-28, 2012, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
IPC2012-90484


Table 1: ILI reported deformation features

Figure 1 is the distribution of dents along the pipeline in terms
of (a) depth (b) orientation, and (c) elevation of the pipeline.
The black dots on the blue elevation profile are the associated
dents along the 265 miles (426 Km) of pipeline.

Figure 1: Dent depth, orientation and elevation
Based on depth and coincident damage, 63 dents associated
with metal loss were prioritized for excavation. These dents
were identified for repair in the pipeline. As part of the
Pipeline Research Council International project (PRCI MD1-
4)

[2], out of 63, 14 were further evaluated in-ditch using the
LaserScan tool

[3]

and used for establishing the correlation
between LaserScan and ILI assessment.
In order to ensure effective integrity management program an
assessment and management of the remaining over 7000
shallow dents was necessary. However, detailed assessments
of dent strain were impractical. Therefore, a reliable and
effective screening methodology was required for identifying
candidate dents that could have injurious strain level and are
required for detailed strain assessment.
In this paper, a screening methodology is developed based on
the correlation between LaserScan and ILI strain assessment,
which was established under the support by PRCI project MD
1-4. A total of 263 shallow dents, which could have injurious
strain level were identified and ranked for detailed strain and
fatigue calculations. In-ditch investigation of 20 dents with
LaserScan profiling showed that the developed screening
methodology provides an effective tool to capture all the dents
with strain equal and above 6.5% at 95% confidence level.
In the following sections, the approach developed for
screening assessment is summarized first. The results of
application of the approach to the 7000 are then presented.
The effectiveness of the approach is illustrated with the
validation data.
APPROACH
The approach used for assessment of the 7000 dents consisted
of the following components:
1. Develop a pre-screening methodology based on the
correlation between aspect ratio and dent strain, using the
results from PRCI MD1-4 project

[2].
2. Apply the screening methodology to over 7,000
remaining features to identify candidate dents that may
have strain level equals or exceeds 5%.
3. Conduct strain analyses of the candidate dents using ILI
reported dent profiles and calibrate with correlation
Factor (PRCI MD1-4) to establish equivalent LaserScan
based strains (ELS).
4. Conduct Fatigue Life calculation on dents with higher
strain values.
5. Select 20-25 dents for field excavation to validate the
effectiveness of current screening methodology based on
a combined criteria:
Dent Strain > 6% (ELS).
Dent fatigue life < 25 year
6. Refine the screening methodology with new excavation
findings for future application.
DEVELOP A PRE-SCREENING METHODOLOGY AND
CRITERION
Depth, length and width of dents, as reported by ILI tools, are
typical parameters for dent classification; however, there is no
relationship between dent strain and individual dimensions,
including depth. Historically, dent aspect ratio, i.e., ratio of
dent depth to length or ratio of dent depth to width, has been
used as an indicator of dent strain severity. However, no
detailed investigation and quantification of correlations
between dent aspect ratio and strain have been performed yet.
By taking the benefit of in-field LaserScan technology, the
dent strain can be more precisely evaluated. The correlation
between dent aspect ratio and strain can then be examined in
detail. From the fourteen dents previously excavated and
LaserScanned under PRCI MD 1-4 project, a correlation can
be established between the dent aspect ratio as reported by ILI
Depth (%
OD)
Total # of
deformation
Deformation
only
Deformation
with metal loss

1 6059 5959 100

1 to 2 1071 1021 50
2 to 3 172 160 12
3 to 5 35 33 2
6 2 2 0
2 Copyright 2012 by ASME


and dent strain as calculated from in-ditch LaserScan. The
equation developed to correlate ILI and Laser strain is:
Strain%
Laser
= 1.3605(Strain%
ILI
) 0.0989+ nStdError (1)
It is noted that there are two aspect ratios that can be
calculated from ILI data for each dent, that is, Depth/Length
and Depth/Width. Only the higher aspect ratio value between
these two is used to correlate it with the dent strain. The
results of 14 dents investigated during the course of PRCI MD
1-4 are plotted in Figure 2. The plot shows a strong correlation
between aspect ratio and the Laser strain with a correlation R
2

= 0.89. Utilizing the aspect ratio of a dent, the strain is
predictable with a certain confidence level.

Figure 2: A plot of Dent Aspect Ratio and Dent Strain,
showing that for a dent with aspect ratio greater than
0.0376, 95% of chance of the dent will be in the strain
range between 3.5% - 6.5% or higher.

Considering the 5% strain is a border (limit) between injurious
and non-injurious dents, a value of aspect ratio of 0.0376 was
identified. For a dent with its aspect ratio equal or greater than
0.0376, there is 95% chance that the dent will have its strain
value in the range between 3.5% - 6.5% or higher or 80% of
chance that the dent will have its strain value in the range
between 4% - 6% or higher.
As a result, a methodology and associated criterion for
screening are established. The criterion is based on ILI
reported dent length and width. Dents with aspect ratio equal
and greater than 0.0376 are selected as the candidates for
strain analysis, while dents with aspect ratio smaller than
0.0376 are considered non-injurious and not required for
further study at a confidence level of 95% or 80%. The aspect
ratio and confidence level selection depend on the definition
for injurious/non-injurious strain level applied and the
confidence level required by integrity management.
By applying this methodology, there were 200 dents identified
for further investigation from a total population of more than
7000 shallow dents.
STRAIN ANALYSIS FOR 200 DENTS USING ILI
REPORTED DENT PROFILE
Mathematical Model for Strain Analysis, the mathematical
model used for strain consists of four components: bending
and membrane strains in axial direction and the same strain
components in circumferential direction. The membrane
strains are constant through the wall while the bending strain
components changes linearly from the inner to the outer
surface.
Figure 3 is a sketch of an isolated pipe body, showing the four
strain components in the pipe wall [4].

Figure 3: Strain Components in the pipe wall

[4]


The equations used to compute circumferential and axial
bending strain at each point of the pipe surface are the same as
those recommended by ASME 31.8 [5,6]:
Circumferential
|
|
.
|

\
|
=
1
1 1
2 R R
t
o
b
y
c
(2)
Longitudinal
2
2R
t
b
x

= c (3)
The equations for axial and circumferential membrane strains
are derived based on the general formula [4, 7]:

( )
0
0
,
L
L L
s m
y
m
x

= c c (4)
where L
o
and L
s
are the lengths before and after deformation at
and around each point of the pipe surface. L
o
and L
s
are
calculated using ILI data.
y
x
z
m
x
c
m
y
c
b
x
c
b
y
c
3 Copyright 2012 by ASME


The membrane and bending strains are then combined
together to calculate the total or equivalent strain for thin-wall
pipe under plain stress condition [4,8,9]:
2 2
3
2
y y x x eq
c c c c c + + =
(5)
Where
b
x
m
x x
c c c = ;
b
y
m
y y
c c c = ;
m
x
c and
m
y
c are the
membrane strains,
b
x
c and
b
y
c are the bending strains at the
surface, and x and y refer to the longitudinal and
circumferential directions, respectively.
The above equation, used in the present study, is the improved
mathematical relation for calculating the equivalent strain
compared to that as recommended by ASME B31.8 2007 [6],
below:
2 2
y y x x eq
c c c c c + = (6)
Recent investigations [4,5,10] have shown that Equation (6) is
inconsistent with the plasticity theory. Consequently, errors
associated with Equation (6) are either under- or over-
estimating, depending on the magnitude and the sign of c
x
and
c
y
, but most time, Equation (6) under-estimate total strain by a
factor 2-3. Since ASME B31.8 2007 has not been updated yet,
and is still being widely referred in the pipeline industry, it is
imperative to evaluate the strain using both Equations (5) and
(6).

Strain Computing Software an in-house software developed
by Blade Energy Partners, Ltd. [11] is used to compute strain
components and total strain at every point of the dented
surface. The software directly extracts the axial and
circumferential displacement data from ILI and LaserScan
data. The software first filters and smoothes the raw
displacement data with FFT Low Pass and Gaussian Smooth
filters to minimize both electronic noises and false readings
from surface irregularities. The software uses a piece-wise
parametric interpolating method to calculate the radius of
curvature. A series of quadratic and cubic curves are typically
fitted over 3 to 5 points for roughened dent profiles and higher
for the smoothed dent profiles. This method has a second-
order derivative continuity, and consequently, the radius of
curvature, R, can be directly calculated from the interpolated
curve using the following equation:
( ) ( ) | |
" ' " '
' '
2
3
2 2
x y y x
y x
R

+
=
(7)

Strain Analysis Results The calculated strains for the 200
screened dents were computed using the ILI reported dent
profile data. There were 4 dents, out of 200, having strain
value exceeding 6%, while a total of 18 dents had a strain over
5%. The dents with an ILI strain over 5% are listed in Table 2.
The ILI strain and the corresponding aspect ratio for all of the
200 dents are shown in Figure 4. It should be noted that these
calculated strain values were not corrected with the correction
factor by ILI/Laser correlation. Usually, strain values
calculated from ILI reported dent profile are lower or much
lower than those calculated for the LaserScanned profile for
the same dent because of lower resolution of ILI profile data.

Table 2: ILI results for 18 dents with strain over 5%.

Figure 4 summarizes all strain vs. aspect ratio results obtained
from ILI data, including the initial 14 performed during the
PRCI project. As more dents were evaluated as part of other
ongoing projects, more results were included for aspect ratio
lower than 0.0376 in this step of the study.
A better correlation between strain and aspect ratio is observed
for aspect ratios lower than 0.0376, while a larger scatter it is
observed for greater aspect ratios.

Figure 4: ILI strain vs. aspect ratio for all 200 dents

4 Copyright 2012 by ASME


For understanding of data scatter, a detailed comparison was
made between dents with similar dimensions (aspect ratio) but
with significant difference in the strain values. Two cases are
discussed here.
Source of the Scatter - Case 1: Figure 5 shows the axial
profile for two different dents with the same depth (3.2%),
similar aspect ratio (0.062 and 0.057) and similar length (12
and 13 in).
The x axis shows the axial distance of the pipe and the y
axis shows the circumferential displacement (mm) for each
ILI sensor.
The maximum strain for the symmetric (left) dent is 3.4% and
the strain for the asymmetric (right) dent is 7.2%. As
evidenced in Figure 5, there is a substantial asymmetric shape
to Dent 22011 as compared to Dent 46662. The asymmetry
contributes to the two times strain value.


Figure 5: Symmetric (left) vs. asymmetric (right) dents

Source of the Scatter - Case 2: Another factor that affects the
correlation between strain and aspect ratio is the length
definition of the dent. Figure 6 shows again the axial profile
for two different dents with the same depth (2%), similar
aspect ratio (0.044 and 0.038) and similar length (11 and 12
in). The maximum strain for the left dent is 4.9% and the
strain for the right dent is 2.1%.
The reported length for the left dent is the red box length not
the actual dent length. Using the red box length of the dent
changes the aspect ratio, resulting in an under-estimation of
the severity during the screening process.

Figure 6: One dent (left) has shorter length compared to
the other (right).
ILI strain correction
As indicated previously, strain values calculated from ILI
profile data are usually lower than those calculated from
LaserScan profile data. This underestimation is due to the
lower resolution of the ILI tool as compared to the LaserScan
data.
During the course of the project of PRCI MD1-4, a
correlation, or, correction equation between ILI based strain
and LaserScan based strain was established using the strain
results obtained from the original 14 dents.
It is observed that the correction factor of the correlation
Equation (1) is limited by the data sets used for the regression
(up to 5.0%) and needs to be validated when applying it
beyond the limit function (See Figure 7).

Figure 7: Correction Factor for ILI based strain

At this stage, the regression Equation (8) was applied to the
200 ILI strain values, excluding the standard error from the
Equation (1):
Strain%
Laser
= 1.3605(Strain%
ILI
) 0.0989 (8)
Following the correction of the ILI based strain with Equation
(8) the previously identified 200 dents had the following
strains:
58 dents with strains > 5%
Out of 58, 33 dents with strains > 6%
Table 3 lists the same 18 dents reported in Table 2 with the
respective strains recalculated using Equation (8).
The number of dents with strains higher than 5% increased
from 18 based on ILI reported dent profile prior to laser
correction to 58 after the laser correction. Consequently, to
validate this approach it will be necessary to assess using field
measurements over 58 dents.
5 Copyright 2012 by ASME


Table 3: Comparison of dent strain calculated using ILI
data and ILI/Laser correlation factor.

FATIGUE ANALYSIS
A fatigue life calculation was performed over 50 dents using
the European Pipeline Research Group (EPRG) method, the
Depth Based Fatigue equation [10]. The fatigue analysis
covered the entire range of dent depths, from minimum dent
depth of 1%OD to the maximum 6.5%OD. The operating
pressure cycling analysis was performed using Rainflow and
Miners Rule.
As a result of the fatigue life calculations, 42 dents showed
short fatigue life (< 20 years), even for relatively shallow
dents.
The short fatigue life results are associated with:
Severe pressure cycling (as shown in Fig. 8)
High MOP levels

The fatigue life calculated from EPRG equation is a function
of dent depth, maximum operating pressure (MOP) and
number of pressure cycles per year. The number of cycles per
year in this case has a strong effect on the fatigue life results
(see Figure 8).
The EPRG approach is valid only for unconstrained dents, and
all 50 dents are located at the bottom of the pipeline, which are
generally considered constrained dents. For this case the
calculated fatigue is only informative. The constrained dents
demonstrate fatigue lives substantially higher than un-
constrained.
However, care must be taken that an originally constrained
dent becomes un-constrained after it is excavated, as its
fatigue decreases. Safety measures should be applied to the
originally constrained dent after excavation.

Figure 8: Pressure cycles per year, week and day.

EXCAVATIONS FINDING AND LASERSCAN STRAIN
ANALYSIS RESULTS
20 dents were selected for validation of the appropriateness of
the current screening methodology.
The selection was based on:
- Dents with equivalent laser strain over 6%
6 Copyright 2012 by ASME


- Dents with fatigue life lower than 20 years
These dents were excavated in-ditch, examined with non-
destructive test (NDT), and profiled using LaserScan tool.
From the 20 investigated dents, two were reclassified as
wrinkles, and in another dent the Laser data did not show any
significant deformation, possibly due to rebounding during
excavation or even a lack of deformation but false call due to
weld geometry. Consequently, these three dents were not
included in the strain analysis. Table 4 is a list of the
calculated strains for the rest of the 17 dents:
Table 4: Laser strain results

UPDATE OF ASPECT RATIO AND IN-DITCH LASER
STRAIN CORRELATION
As described previously, an initial correlation between dent
aspect ratio and strain was established based on 14 dent
measurements, see Figure 2. This original correlation was
updated with the 17 excavation results performed for this
study. The new correlation plot is shown in Figure 9. This plot
shows a similar linear correlation but larger scatter bands than
Figure 2. However, all data points are within the 95%
confidence interval of 3.8% strain. This is an important
conclusion from this study. The ILI Aspect Ratio screening
method provides an effective tool to capture the dents with
strain equal and above 6.5% at 95% confidence level for this
pipeline section. With this new correlation function applied at
95% confidence level and 6.5% strain, a new value of aspect
ratio of 0.032 is identified. This new aspect ratio value
compared to the previous of 0.037, shown on Figure 2, implies
that more than 200 dents have to be assessed. However, this
will be covered in future evaluations and is not included in this
study.


Figure 9: Correlation between aspect ratio and Laser
strain
This overall correlation can be utilized for screening a large
population of dents to ensure that all of the higher strain dents
are assessed in detail to ensure pipeline integrity.
SUMMARY
A screening methodology has been developed for this pipeline
and the overall process followed here is summarized in Figure
10.

Figure 10: Flowchart summary of the process
7 Copyright 2012 by ASME


It is demonstrated from this screening exercise that the large
amounts of shallow dents are greatly reduced into a
manageable quantity for detail strain evaluation.
It is also demonstrated that the ILI aspect ratio screening
methodology combined with strain and fatigue assessment
provides an effective tool to capture the dents with strain equal
and above 6.5% at 95% confidence level.
Improvement in the ILI definition of width and length is
essential for accurate application of aspect ratio for sorting
large quantities of dents.
REFERENCES
1. Marathon Pipe Line LLC, 24" Crude Line, Baker Hughes
2009 ILI Combo Report.
2. PRCI MD1-4 progress report, 2010, Atlanta, Georgia
3. Blade Energy Partners Report: LaserScan Technology
for In-ditch Mechanical Damage Characterization for
MD1-4, June 2009, Houston, TX.
4. Gao M., McNealy R., Krishnamurthy R., and Colquhoun
I.: Strain-Based Models for Dent Assessment A
Review, IPC 2008, Paper No: 64565, Sept. 29 to Oct. 3,
2008. Calgary, Canada.
5. R. B. Francini and N. Yoosef-Ghodsi: Development of a
Model for Predicting the Severity of Pipeline Damage
Identified by In-Line Inspection, PRCI Report, Draft,
February 2008.
6. ASME B31.8 2007 Gas Transmission and Distribution
Piping System, page 6
7. Rosenfeld, M. J.., Porter, P. C., Cox, J. A., Strain
Estimation Using Vetco Deformation Tool Data, ASME
2nd International Pipeline Conference, Calgary, 1998.
8. Lukasiewicz, S. A., Czyz, J. A., Sun, C., Adeeb, S.
Calculation od=f Strains in Dents Based on High
Resolution In-Line Caliper Survey, IPC2006, Paper
10101, 6th International Pipeline Conference, September
25-29, 2006, Calgary, Canada.
9. Lukasiewicz, S.A.: Local Loads on Plates and Shells,
Fridhoff-Noordhoff, The Netherlands, Leyden, 1979.
10. Pipeline Defect Assessment Manual, Version 2, pp. 117-
122: European Pipeline Research Group (EPRG) method,
the Depth Based Fatigue equation, 200
11. Blade Energy Partners: A Point-to-Point Dent Strain
analysis tool using ILI and LaserScan Reported Dent
Profile, User Instruction manual, 2009
8 Copyright 2012 by ASME