Pipeline Integrity, Fitness for Service and Life Extension Assessments for a Major Middle Eastern Gas Network

Project Background

A major gas operator in the Middle East operates a network of more than 3,000 km of gas pipelines. The pipelines are subject to a range of internal and external damage mechanisms that can affect their integrity and potentially lead to failure if not proactively identified and managed.

Penspen was appointed under a three-year contract to support the operator’s Pipeline Integrity Management System (PIMS), assessing the current and future integrity of several pipelines across its network. The assessments aimed to determine the extent of damage mechanisms, remaining life and future integrity, while identifying appropriate inspection, repair and life extension strategies.

Services

Penspen’s Middle East and Africa Asset Integrity team performed Fitness for Service, Remaining Life, risk and Life Extension assessments for hundreds of kilometres of pipeline.The team reviewed and analysed multiple datasets, including in-line inspection data, cathodic protection records, repair history and operational parameters such as pressure and temperature.

Using THEIA, Penspen’s digital pipeline integrity management platform, the team compared successive in-line inspection datasets, matched features between inspection runs and calculated corrosion growth rates across the pipelines. These growth rates were then used to project defect development and assess future pipeline integrity.

The assessments enabled Penspen to identify areas requiring proactive intervention and recommend appropriate integrity strategies, including inspection intervals, targeted repairs, broader repair programmes and segment replacement where required. Life extension assessments were also undertaken in accordance with ISO 12747.

Outcome

Penspen provided the operator with greater visibility of pipeline integrity risks and a robust, data-driven basis for making decisions across its asset integrity portfolio.

The assessments supported the development of long-term integrity plans, helping to prioritise repairs and inspections, optimise maintenance expenditure and manage pipeline risks in accordance with the operator’s PIMS requirements.

By combining detailed inspection analysis, defect growth assessment and future integrity predictions, Penspen helped the operator develop practical strategies to maintain the long-term safe and reliable operation of its critical pipeline network.

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