Leak-Rupture Boundary Calculator and Training Manual

Developed Guidelines

Operations Technology Development (OTD) More »

Threats and Integrity Management -- Pipeline Testing, Analysis and Repair

The project developed a calculator for operators to determine the leak-rupture boundary of a pipe segment based on properties such as its diameter, toughness, and yield strength. The operators can use the calculator for risk modeling and consequence analysis. The calculator determines if the pipe segment would fail by leak instead of rupture when operated at a specific percentage of SMYS with known yield strength, toughness, diameter, and wall thickness.

The calculator provides operators and regulators with a new body of knowledge regarding the boundary between failure by leak and failure by rupture. The results provide an enhanced understanding of the parameters influencing failure modes to allow integrity management programs to consider the proximity of a pipe segment’s operating pressure in relation to the leak-rupture boundary. The information could also be used by regulators to update integrity management regulations to reflect the risk associated with different pipe materials.

Increased Safety - For pipelines operators to ensure that their limited assessment resources are focused on the highest-risk segments. The calculator provide the technical basis to understand which segments could possibly fail by leak versus rupture.

Leak-Rupture Boundary Determination, Operations Technology Development, OTD Project Report 4.9.a, Oct 2012.