Stress Corrosion Cracking Direct Assessment
Stress corrosion cracking direct assessment (SCCDA) is a DOT- approved alternative for identifying pipeline segments with significant stress corrosion by first ascertaining susceptible areas. Structural Integrity Associates, Inc. (SI) offers clients a full menu of SCCDA services, ranging from development of a written procedure and inspection of a single pipeline to a comprehensive four-step turnkey SCCDA program — pre-assessment, indirect inspection, direct inspection, and post-assessment—for an entire pipeline network. SI's pre-assessment services include gathering, reviewing, and integrating data by pipeline segment; this data may be supplemented by SI indirect inspections of segments of interest, including close-interval cathodic protection surveys, coating fault surveys, geologic/soil surveys, and in-line inspection with geometry or magnetic flux leakage tools. SI can also provide direct inspection of at-risk segments, using magnetic particle inspection or, if necessary, hydrostatic testing. In the post-assessment phase, SI can determine appropriate re-inspection and re-testing intervals, as well as identify necessary remediation and mitigation.
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Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducer Inspections
Specialized assessment tools and methodologies are required for difficult-to-evaluate large-diameter piping and piping with limited circumferential access. Couplant-free electromagnetic acoustic transducers (EMATs) mounted on semi-automatic crawlers can quickly screen these components for corrosion, defects, gouges, and cracks, using electromagnetic induction to generate ultrasonic waves. Structural Integrity Associates, Inc. (SI) offers its clients rapid, repeatable EMAT inspections of penstocks, tanks, storage systems, hard-to-reach piping, irregular pipe elbows, large circulating water systems, and large-diameter piping. When anomalies are detected, the extent of degradation is confirmed with conventional ultrasonic inspection systems.
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Fossil Plant High-Energy Piping Inspections
Fossil plant high-energy piping (HEP) systems—including main steam, hot reheat, cold reheat, and feedwater piping—are critical systems that require careful inspection. Structural Integrity Associates, Inc. (SI) offers its fossil clients the latest in nondestructive examination techniques, including G-ScanSM and linear phased-array ultrasonics, to locate and quantify damage in these piping systems. G-Scan provides rapid, full-coverage pipe screening for wall thinning, reducing inspection time and facilitating inspection of difficult-to-access locations. If indications are found, SI can bring in additional NDE techniques and specialists to quantify damage, and then apply advanced analytical tools to predict serviceability and facilitate run/repair/replace decisions for this crucial piping. SI also now offers G-Scan to screen fossil boiler tubing for wall thinning.
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info@structint.com
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Guided-Wave G-ScanSM Inspections
The advanced guided-wave G-ScanSM inspection system from Structural Integrity Associates, Inc. (SI) offers clients a rapid, reliable method for screening pipelines and piping for both internal and external wall loss—while eliminating the need for complete pipeline excavation or insulation removal. G-Scan's acoustic transducer arrays create torsional waves that propagate down pipes and reflect off such features as welds, supports, and areas of wall loss. The resulting data is then analyzed to identify the location and nature of indications. G-Scan applications include detection of girth welds, wall loss, and corrosion under insulation; assessment of buried or cased pipelines; and screening of power plant high-energy piping for flow-assisted corrosion. SI can also calculate relationships between volumetric metal loss and industry damage correlation curves to help determine inspection acceptance criteria. SI uses G-Scan in its turnkey ECDA, ICDA, and SCCDA programs, minimizing the cost of excavation and insulation removal.
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info@structint.com
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Casing Assessments
Pipeline casing assessments are an integral part of the inspections required by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). Alternative casing integrity assessment technologies are permitted, provided that the technology is shown to be appropriate to the situation, and provided that the inspection methodology complies with PHMSA's 18-point checklist of requirements. Structural Integrity Associates, Inc. (SI) can help pipeline clients throughout the casing assessment process by providing procedural documentation, pre-assessment data collection, and inspections in accordance with procedures to ensure PHMSA compliance. SI's casing assessment services include assistance with Other Technology Notification (OTN) filings; development, audit, or revision of guided-wave procedures to meet compliance; on-site G-ScanSM casing inspections; supervision of related inspection procedures; and result interpretation and recommendations.
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info@structint.com
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Pipeline Integrity Management Programs
Integrity management — identifying and addressing pipeline issues before they can interrupt operations — requires expertise in materials degradation, structural mechanics, advanced inspection and assessment methodologies, and applicable regulatory requirements. Structural Integrity Associates, Inc. (SI) has that specialized expertise, and offers it to clients in turnkey Integrity Management Programs (IMPs) designed to meet U.S. DOT requirements. SI's IMPs use state-of-the-art field inspection technologies such as SI's guided-wave G-ScanSM; advanced software tools such as SI's RiskPro™ and SoilPro™; cutting-edge data management systems such as SI's GIS (geographic information system); and sound mitigation and remediation practices to ensure that pipeline integrity is maintained and that that fact can be demonstrated to regulatory agencies. SI's turnkey IMPs can assist clients in planning external corrosion direct assessment (ECDA), internal corrosion direct assessment (ICDA), or stress corrosion cracking direct assessment (SCCDA). SI is also available to review or audit both the process and implementation status of clients' own IMPs, using SI's proprietary AuditPro™.
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- Integrity Management of Vintage Pipelines
- Long-Range Guided-Wave Ultrasonic Inspection
- Bell-Hole Inspection
- Pipe Damage Assessment & Repair
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External Corrosion Direct Assessment
External corrosion direct assessment (ECDA) is an approved alternative inspection methodology for meeting U.S. DOT requirements for gas and hazardous liquid pipelines. Structural Integrity Associates, Inc. (SI) offers clients all levels of ECDA services, ranging from Written Plan development and basic inspections to a comprehensive four-step turnkey ECDA program. The turnkey ECDA program includes pipeline pre-assessment supported by SI's proprietary TurboECDA™ data management and documentation software; indirect inspections, including close-interval pipe-to-soil potential surveys (CIS), alternating current and direct current voltage gradient (ACVG/DCVG) surveys, soil resistivity surveys, C-Scan, and other methodologies; direct inspections, including bell-hole inspections, nondestructive examination with SI's long-range guided-wave ultrasonic G-ScanSM; and post-assessment to determine program effectiveness and reassessment intervals. SI's turnkey program also provides required ECDA procedures, documentation, and reporting, as well as prevention and mitigation planning to minimize pipeline degradation.
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info@structint.com
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Internal Corrosion Direct Assessment
Operators of U.S. pipelines are required to verify the absence of internal corrosion damage, and DOT-approved internal corrosion direct assessment (ICDA) may be the most cost-effective assessment method for many such pipelines, as well as the only available method for pipelines where in-line inspection or hydrotests are impracticable. Structural Integrity Associates, Inc. (SI) offers clients all levels of ICDA services, including a four-step turnkey ICDA program that involves pipeline pre-assessment; region identification; inclination and flow modeling; direct examination with SI's ultrasonic G-ScanSM and B-Scan systems; and post-assessment engineering to determine remaining strength and reassessment intervals. SI can also provide ICDA procedures, documentation, and reporting, as well as prevention and mitigation to minimize further degradation. SI can apply ICDA to dry gas pipelines (DG-ICDA), liquid petroleum pipelines (LP-ICDA), or wet gas pipelines (WG-ICDA), and to either entire piping networks or selected sections of such pipelines.
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info@structint.com
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Integrated Assessments
Structural Integrity Associates, Inc. (SI) uses integrated assessments to determine if an operator's pipeline or piping assets are fit for service. These comprehensive assessments involve an understanding of potential degradation mechanisms, knowledge of optimal inspection methods to quantify asset condition, and engineering expertise to analyze all available information to make an informed decision on the remaining operability of a component or system.
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info@structint.com
B-Scan Inspections
The B-Scan ultrasonic inspection system from Structural Integrity Associates, Inc. (SI) is designed for rapid scanning of steel surfaces to identify and map wall thinning in pipelines and piping. A single B-Scan is equivalent to 240 point-to-point conventional ultrasonic test measurements, making B-Scan much more capable of finding isolated corrosion pitting than point-to-point A-Scan ultrasonic devices. A B-Scan showing thickness versus distance is displayed on an LCD, enabling technicians to measure and record readings while manually scanning with an ultrasonic transducer. B-Scan ensures that highly accurate and quantitative measurements are collected in a short period of time.
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info@structint.com