Assessing Cracking and Seam Weld Anomalies in Pipelines
Led by Sergio Limón
November 11-12, 2025
Whitehall Hotel in Downtown Houston
It will be necessary to bring a laptop to this course.
| COURSE SCHEDULE (both days) | |
| Registration, breakfast, coffee: | 7:30am |
| Course: | 8:00am-5:00pm |
Various forms of cracks and long seam weld anomalies are known to be present in pipelines, which can become a safety concern over the operational life of the pipeline. The most typical forms for cracking are environmentally assisted, manufacturing related and operational driven. This course will cover in greater depth the formation of cracking and seam weld defects and the conditions that drive their growth until they become unstable, leading to leaks or ruptures.
Led by Sergio Limon, this 2-day, in-person course is designed for pipeline engineers and managers. You will learn the basics of how and why cracks and seam weld anomalies form and how to effectively assess them. This will include hands-on demonstrations and discussion of pipeline samples with cracking and seam weld defects. Appropriate assessment methods such as ILI tools and pressure testing will be discussed as well as traditional and current engineering methods for determining their severity for response and remediation. In-ditch Non-destructive Examination (NDE) methods and technologies will also be covered and demonstrated with actual pipeline samples. Each attendee will receive a complimentary Excel based crack assessment calculator which will be demonstrated in class using practical case studies.
Pipeline engineers, managers and service professionals who are involved with the operation, maintenance, inspection and repair of pipelines.
It will be necessary to bring a laptop to this course.
Complete course presentation material will be available as a PDF download prior to the course.
Upon completion of the course, participants will be eligible to receive 1.4 Continuing Education Units.
Sergio Limón is a Sr. Engineering Advisor with Blade Energy Partners responsible for developing, implementing, and executing strategic integrity management programs for gas and liquids pipelines, as well as performing fracture mechanics based structural evaluations, fatigue assessments and failure analyses. Sergio has worked in the oil & gas pipeline industry for more than 26 years with emphasis on pipeline integrity threat analysis and response. He was employed for 10 years with by Williams Companies in the Pipeline Integrity group and has 16 years of consulting experience advising pipeline owners and operators in the USA and internationally in the areas of measuring, analyzing, predicting, and verifying the structural integrity performance of energy pipelines. Sergio holds B Sc. and M Sc. degrees in Mechanical Engineering with emphasis in fracture mechanics and materials from the University of Utah.
Pipeline Integrity Management