INTEGRATED INSPECTION AND ANALYTICAL TECHNOLOGIES FOR BURIED PIPE ASSESSMENTS

The demand for inspection services as part of a site’s management of buried and underground pipe and tank programs has been increasing over the last several years in support of NEI Initiative 09-14 – Guideline for the Management of Underground Piping and Tank Integrity. Unlike traditional NDE methods that utilize direct contact with a material surface for inspection, buried pipe inspections utilize “Indirect Inspection ” methodologies to gain insight into the condition of the pipe without the need for excavation. Once adverse signatures are observed, excavation and quantitative examinations using traditional NDE methods are used. A secondary benefit of this approach is that the disposition of large amounts of pipe with minimal likelihood for significant degradation can be established, saving the site valuable time and resources while maintaining the reasonable assurance of an asset’s integrity for safe operation. This approach optimizes inspection planning at locations with the greatest potential for worst-case external corrosion degradation. This paper will present two methods, APEC and GWT, and the data integration and analysis processes used to arrive at prioritized recommendations regarding a pipe’s condition. An example will be used to demonstrate how the data supports corrosion engineering decisions used to establish the reasonable assurance of buried pipe integrity