During shutdown preparation at a 20-year-old natural gas processing facility in the Asia-Pacific region, our client faced a critical challenge: pipework constructed from ASTM A106 Grade B carbon steel was not qualified for low-temperature service.
This raised concerns about the risk of brittle fracture during cold exposure, especially given the complexity and scale of the network. Full replacement was impractical, so the client needed a targeted, cost-effective assessment to quantify risk and identify mitigation strategies.
The facility’s pipework included a wide range of diameters, thicknesses, and design pressures, making the assessment particularly complex. Conventional solutions, such as systematic replacement or blanket upgrades, were not feasible due to operational and financial constraints. The client required a solution that would not only address immediate safety concerns but also support long-term asset integrity and regulatory compliance.
We developed and executed a comprehensive fracture mechanics strategy tailored to the client’s unique situation.
This included:
- Advanced finite element stress analysis of high-risk pipe sections to identify areas of high stress and most susceptible to potential failure.
- Destructive testing to determine material properties, including tensile strength, impact resistance, and fracture toughness, ensuring that our assessment was grounded in accurate, site-specific data.
- API 579-1 Part 9 assessments for each pipe configuration, identifying critical defect sizes, and establishing clear thresholds for safe operation.
- Sensitivity analyses to evaluate the impact of wall thickness, defect aspect ratio, material properties, and residual stress, providing a nuanced understanding of risk across the facility.
- Simplified impact and dropped-object assessments using energy conservation principles, helping the client understand the potential consequences of accidental impacts and develop appropriate mitigation strategies.
By comparing critical defect dimensions to the detection limits of non-destructive inspection techniques, we confirmed the safety of properly maintained pipework and calculated maximum acceptable external loads for undetected defects. Our phased approach, completed over several years, ensured that all assessments were thorough and that recommendations were practical and implementable within the client’s operational constraints.
Our innovative analytical approach demonstrated that the risk associated with historic material use was lower than initially feared.
We enabled the client to:
- Maintain asset integrity and safety without disruptive replacement, preserving operational continuity, and minimizing downtime.
- Implement practical integrity management measures to prevent risk escalation, including enhanced corrosion monitoring, targeted inspections, and optional risk-reduction strategies such as localized stress relief and limiting overhead work.
- Focus inspection and corrosion control where most effective, optimizing maintenance budgets and reducing unnecessary interventions.
- Satisfy insurer requirements and regulatory expectations, providing documented evidence of risk assessment and mitigation that support continued safe operation.
This comprehensive assessment provided the client with confidence in continued safe operation, satisfied insurer requirements, and delivered a cost-effective path forward. Our collaborative approach ensured that the client was fully informed at every stage, and that all recommendations were aligned with their operational goals and long-term asset management strategy.
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