ILI Data Interpretation Course

June 9-11, 2010

Course schedule
June 9-11:	8am-5pm

Note: The intent of this course is to provide an 'inside' look at an ILI vendor's systems to help bridge knowledge gaps between vendors' specialists and IM personnel working in the operating and engineering companies. Accordingly, participants will utilize proprietary software extensively throughout as a way to gain insight into how they analyze, extract and report identified features. For this reason, enrollment is limited to pipeline operators, regulators, engineering contractors, and non-aligned consultants.

The course is designed for professionals who need to know the basics of acquiring and interpreting ILI data when assessing pipeline integrity and safety. The participants will get a working knowledge of the basics of the engineering approach to ILI data extraction, mining, fusion, and analysis using the actual tools and software used by a major ILI service provider.

Course Objective:

Provide insight about data analysis as a part of the in-line inspection process in order to help operators and consultants understand what can be achieved with it and what the limitations are.
Establish the understanding that data analysis is built on data collected from an ILI tool, make the connection between tool capabilities (characteristics and limitation of the applied detection methods) and performance of data analysis.
Show what is, or can be, done within the process of data interpretation to maximize its performance and reliability (features of the software, details of readings etc.).
Clarify what can be done before (tool characteristics etc.), during (software, analyst training etc.) and after data analysis (excavations, statistical analysis) to maximize the outcome of data analysis.
Clarify how feedback from verification excavations can improve results of data analysis
Discuss applications of analyzed data for pipeline integrity management (remaining strength, corrosion growth etc.)
Clarify POD, POI and sizing accuracy
Discuss ILI standards and recommended practices

Who should attend

Pipeline engineers and technical personnel involved with inspection, data integration, and overall maintenance, especially managers and supervisors responsible for pipeline integrity management.
Regulatory personnel responsible for IM audits and compliance.

Course Notes

Participants will receive a full set of the course notes and slides in ring-binder format.

Continuing Education Units

Upon completion of the course, participants will be eligible to receive 2.1 Continuing Education Units (CEUs).

Lecturers

Dr. Neb Uzelac is vice president with NDT Systems & Services (America). He has more than 20 years' experience in in-line inspection, specializing in ultrasonic methods and crack detection, and the application of NDE techniques for internal pipeline inspection. As a member of NACE, Dr. Uzelac is chairman of the Task Group currently revising NACE TR 35100, In-Line Non-destructive Inspection of Pipelines. He is also a member of the task group that prepared the NACE Standard RP0102-2002, and he is chairman of the NACE Technology Exchange Group TEG 267X for In-line Inspection of Pipelines. He was also a member of API's work groups that created API standards 1160 and 1163 (ILI performance standard).

Lisa Barkdull has over 17 years experience in the pipeline service industry; primarily focusing on analysis of in-line inspection data. She participates in industry organizations and committees such as API 1163. During the past 17 years, Lisa has worked in various disciplines including data analysis, engineering, QA/QC, and management. She has a Master’s of Science in Statistics from the University of Houston Clear Lake. Lisa currently holds the position of Manager - Data Analysis and Technology with NDT Systems and Services (America), Inc.

Dr. Marc Lamontagne has experience and knowledge spanning the entire range of methods of assessment for pipelines.He joined TransCanada Pipelines Integrity group in 1997, where his principal function was in-line inspection (ILI) and field-measured defect analysis, defining the future ILI schedule and fitness-for-purpose reporting for all sections hydrotested or in-line inspected. Marc then joined Marr Associates Pipeline Integrity in late 2001 and subsequently Tuboscope Integrated Pipeline Services. In 2006 he established Lamontagne Pipeline Assessment Corp., an integrity-management consultancy specializing in fitness-for-purpose analysis through in-line inspection; interaction and assessment procedures; and defect growth-rate modeling.

Course Outline

Day 1

Pipeline defects, types and classification
Available standards and guidelines, e.g. API1163 and POF.
ILI technologies and tools: Introduction to principles of detection and basic facts about tools.
Process flow after an ILI run (general):

Data Check for different types of tools
Data processing
Generation of a pipe tally
Feature search
Data analysis process
Feature classification and sizing
Preliminary and final reports
Report generation
Generation of tables
Generation of diagrams and summary
Feedback loop
Introduction of the flow loop and the data set which will be used for data analysis,

Day 2

Data analysis process: demonstrated for each of the technologies:

MFL
Ultrasonic wall thickness measurement
Crack detection
Geometry
Mapping

Day 3

Recapitulation with Workshop session
Using data for integrity assessment:

Remaining strength calculation, different algorithms,
Interaction rules,
Run comparisons.
Corrosion growth,
Crack assessment

Statistical analysis, what is reasonable to apply
Case studies with runs where extensive verification was conducted
Conclusions

Organized by:
Supported by: