Evaluation and Control of the reliability of Weld Joints in Petroleum Products Transportation Pipelines

Abstract

The economic performance of petroleum products transport companies is dependent on the reliability of their equipment. Ruptures of the weld joints of petroleum products carriage pipelines have major consequences at the human, environmental and economic levels. Weld joints are potential sites of dangerous cracks. The management of reliability of weld joints in pipelines is useful to integrate the quality planning and risks throughout their life cycle and to systematically track their characteristics all along their life cycles. The use in situ of inspection results from non-destructive control techniques is an essential component of evaluation and control of reliability of pipes in their function. It requires calculation methods and tools to assist in the decision-making in support of inspection and repair campaigns. It is in this context that the present study was conducted, which is a contribution to the efforts of methodological assessment of the reliability of petroleum products transport pipelines.