Battelle Develops Guidance for INGAA

On January 28, 2003, the U. S. Department of Transportation issued a Notice of Proposed Rule Making that requires natural-gas pipeline operators to develop integrity management programs for high consequence areas (HCAs). This past December, the proposed rules were incorporated in as Section 763, Pipeline Integrity Management Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 192 (49CFR192).

The B31.8 Task Force on Pipeline Integrity developed ASME B31.8S, “Managing System Integrity of Gas Pipelines” as the industry consensus to address what will become Section 763. This document provides guidance on formulating and implementing integrity management programs for natural-gas pipelines. ASME B31.8S recommends that gas pipeline operators identify and evaluate potential threats to each pipeline segment within HCAs. This ASME Code Supplement identifies 21 potential pipeline integrity threats, and it groups these into nine categories.

Battelle, under contract to the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA), is developing guidance on evaluating threats in HCAs for the portion of the gas transmission system that involves vintage pipelines. Such pipelines include pipe making and construction practices that are no longer used, including some early variations of current practices. Battelle’s effort covers buried, onshore, steel transmission pipelines and distribution mains that operate at pressures above 20% of the yield pressure. The work includes threats due to anomalies introduced by historic steel-making, pipe-making, construction, and fabrication. The project will deliver guidance on identifying the vintage portions of the system that may be susceptible to historic anomalies, and a high-level management approach for use in responding to Section 763.

For additional information, contact Dr. Brian Leis at (614) 424-4421, leis@battelle.org.