ILI Run Alignment Study for a Natural Gas Pipeline Transportation System in Peru

Project Background

The client, a natural gas company, operates and maintains around 1,500 km of pipelines, compressor plants and pumping stations that make up its pipeline transportation system and is located in the complex Peruvian geography. The client sought technical advice on the integrity evaluation of their pipeline transportation system and required an ILI run alignment study and corrosion rate analysis, in order to estimate the remaining life of the internal and external corrosion type indications in their natural gas and natural gas liquid pipelines and accurately establish the next inspection interval.

Services Provided  

Team Penspen in Latin America ran the ILI run alignment study using THEIA, Penspen’s Digital Pipeline Integrity Management Solution. This comprehensive study involved the correlation of 58 ILI runs executed in different years and using different technologies, corresponding to different pipeline segments within the client’s system.

The service was overseen by Penspen integrity engineers and employed a pivotal module of THEIA, the ‘Feature Matching & CGR.’ This module facilitated the correlation of multiple indications and large ILI inspection datasets, playing a crucial role in calculating the Corrosion Growth Rate (CGR) for sections within the natural gas and natural gas liquid pipelines.

The corrosion rate estimation analysis involved pairing joints and correlating corrosion type indications through Penspen’s innovative Multiple Defect Remaining Life Prediction (MDRLP) methodology. This approach allowed for estimating corrosion rates with multiple ILI inspections, accommodating different technologies, and considering in each case the tolerance of the tool indicated by the supplier.

Result & Value

The deployment of THEIA as a digital pipeline management solution proved invaluable, with all project deliverables provided to the client in less than three months.

This efficiency, facilitated by THEIA, Penspen’s Digital Pipeline Integrity Management Solution, allowed for a swift analysis of the pipeline system’s condition using statistics from the In-Line Inspection data. THEIA calculates corrosion rates for all possible combinations, given the number of paired indications between the internal inspections of each of the segments, presenting the results in distribution graphs that allow selecting the most appropriate corrosion rate, supporting the client in decision-making related to maintenance actions, including the establishment of the optimal inspection interval.

In addition, THEIA provides a document repository to store information on the pipeline (such has the ILI records, construction & operating details) in one centralised location, the document repository, providing them with easy access to relevant data, and greatly reducing the risk of using incorrect data for future integrity management.

Penspen’s technical expertise, coupled with the power of THEIA, has significantly enhanced our client’s ability to manage and safeguard their critical pipeline infrastructure, ensuring the uninterrupted flow of vital resources for the nation and beyond.