Panel Peer Review of PHMSA Pipeline Safety Research Projects: 2010

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The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s (PHMSA) Pipeline Safety Research and Development (R&D) Program held its first structured peer review of active research projects in February 2006 and the most recent peer review in April 2010. Mandates by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Office of the Secretary of Transportation (OST) govern these reviews and are keeping PHMSA “Green” in addressing research data quality. Conducting these peer reviews via teleconference and the Internet is saving time and resources. It is also working well with panelists, researchers, Agreement Officers’ Technical Representatives and project co-sponsors. Most impressively, the PHMSA approach facilitates attendance from all U.S. time zones, Canada and Europe.

The annual peer review continues to build on an already strong and systematic evaluation process developed by PHMSA’s Pipeline Safety R&D Program and certified by the Government Accountability Office. The peer review panel consisted of twelve government and industry experts. Two panelists were active Government representatives from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement and one was an active Government representative from the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The remaining nine panelists are retired Government and retired and active industry personnel who play vital roles as peers for the American Petroleum Institute, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the National Association of Corrosion Engineers and other standards developing organizations.

Thirty-five active research projects were peer reviewed by expert panelists using 14 evaluation criteria. These criteria were grouped within the following five evaluation categories:

  1. Project relevance to the PHMSA mission.
  2. Project management.
  3. Approach taken for transferring results to end users.
  4. Project coordination with other closely related programs.
  5. Quality of project results.

The rating scale possibilities were "Ineffective," "Moderately Effective," "Effective," or "Very Effective." During the April 2010 review, the average program rating was “Very Effective” for each of the evaluation categories. For this year, 26 projects were rated “Very Effective” with 9 projects ranked as “Effective.” The average sub-criteria scoring were also rated very high and underpin these findings. The majority of peered projects and the overall program rating remain “Very Effective” since the initial reviews in 2006. Additional details are available in Section 7 and Tables 4, 5 and 6 of this report.

Rating Scale
Very Effective4.5 to 5.0 (26 Projects)
Effective3.0 to 4.4 (9 Projects)
Moderately Effective2.0 to 2.9 (0 Projects)
Ineffective0.0 to 1.9 (0 Projects)
Average Program Score4.6

Program Averages - Review Categories and Sub-Criteria
Review Categories and Sub-Criteria Score Rating
1. Project relevance to PHMSA mission. 4.8 Very Effective
  1.1. Is the project still relevant for enhancing pipeline safety and or protecting the environment? 4.8 Very Effective
  1.2. Does the project address a technology gap, consensus standard or produce general knowledge? 4.7 Very Effective
2. Project Management. 4.6 Very Effective
  2.1. Is the project making progress toward the work scope objectives and the PHMSA goals? 4.8 Very Effective
  2.2. Is the project being managed on budget and schedule? 4.4 Effective
3. Approach taken for transferring results to end users. 4.5 Very Effective
  3.1. Is there a plan for dissemination of results, including publications, reporting, and patents? 4.6 Very Effective
  3.2. How much end user involvement is incorporated into the work scope? 4.7 Very Effective
  3.3. For results that may include marketable products and technologies, are commercialization plans established? 4.3 Effective
4. Project coordination with other related programs. 4.5 Very Effective
  4.1. Does the project build on, or make use of, related or prior work? 4.8 Very Effective
  4.2. Is the work of the project being communicated to other related research efforts? 4.4 Effective
  4.3. Has consideration been given to possible future work? 4.4 Effective
5. Quality of project results. 4.7 Very Effective
  5.1. Are the intended results supported by the work performed during the project? 4.6 Very Effective
  5.2. Are the intended results consistent with scientific knowledge and/or engineering principles? 4.8 Very Effective
  5.3. Are the intended results appropriate for the resources expended? 4.7 Very Effective
  5.4. Are the intended results presented in such a manner as to be useful for identified end users? 4.7 Very Effective
Average Category Score and Rating: 4.6 Very Effective

Project Rankings
Project Rank Contract Project Title Score Rating
241 1 DTPH56-08-T-000012 External Corrosion Direct Assessment of Cased Pipes 5.0 Very Effective
243 1 DTPH56-08-T-000012 External Corrosion Direct Assessment - Potential Measurements on Paved Areas 5.0 Very Effective
256 1 DTPH56-08-T-000022 Validation of External Corrosion Growth-Rate Using Polarization Resistance and Soil Properties 5.0 Very Effective
226 2 DTPH56-07-T-000005 Development of Optimized Welding Solutions for X100 Linepipe Steel 4.9 Very Effective
238 2 DTPH56-08-T-000011 Structural Significance of Mechanical Damage 4.9 Very Effective
242 2 DTPH56-08-T-000012 Severity Ranking of ECDA Indirect Inspection Indications 4.9 Very Effective
247 2 DTPH56-08-T-000013 Effect of Ethanol Blends and Batching Operations on Stress Corrosion Cracking of Carbon Steel 4.9 Very Effective
199 3 DTPH56-06-T-000013 Guidelines for the Identification of SCC Sites and the Estimation of Re-Inspection Intervals for SCCDA 4.8 Very Effective
218 3 DTPH56-07-T-000002 Advanced Technologies and Methodology for Automated Ultrasonic Testing Systems Quantification 4.8 Very Effective
225 3 DTPH56-07-T-000005 Update of Weld Design, Testing, and Assessment Procedures for High Strength Pipelines 4.8 Very Effective
236 3 DTPH56-08-T-000009 Adaptation of MWM Array and MFL Technology for Enhanced Detection/Characterization of Damage from Inside Pipelines 4.8 Very Effective
237 3 DTPH56-08-T-000010 Direct strain measurements and failure pressure prediction in mechanically damaged and strained pipes 4.8 Very Effective
254 3 DTPH56-08-T-000021 Feasibility of Using Plastic Pipe for Ethanol Low Stress Lines 4.8 Very Effective
231 4 DTPH56-08-T-000002 Enhanced Defect Detection and Sizing Accuracy Using Matrix Phased Array Ultrasonics Tools 4.7 Very Effective
234 4 DTPH56-08-T-000007 Development of a Free-Swimming Acoustic Tool for Liquid Pipeline Leak Detection Including Evaluation for Natural Gas Pipeline Applications 4.7 Very Effective
235 4 DTPH56-08-T-000009 Meandering Winding Magnetometer-Array Detection & Characterization of Damage through Coatings and Insulation 4.7 Very Effective
257 4 DTPH56-08-T-000023 Validation for Flaw Acceptance of Mechanical Damage to Low Stress Natural Gas Pipelines 4.7 Very Effective
294 4 DTPH56-09-T-000005 Performance Evaluation of High-Strength Steel Pipelines for High-Pressure Gaseous Hydrogen Transportation 4.7 Very Effective
248 5 DTPH56-08-T-000013 Monitoring Conditions Leading to SCC/Corrosion of Carbon Steel 4.6 Very Effective
252 5 DTPH56-08-T-000019 Advanced Development of Proactive Infrasonic Gas Pipeline Evaluation Network 4.6 Very Effective
293 5 DTPH56-09-T-000002 Modeling of Microbial Induced Corrosion on Metallic Pipelines Resulting from Biomethane & the Integrity Impact of Biomethane on Non-Metallic Pipelines 4.6 Very Effective
203 6 DTPH56-06-T-000016 Development of Dual Field MFL Inspection Technology to Detect Mechanical Damage 4.5 Very Effective
220 6 DTPH56-07-T-000006 Validation of Assessment Methods for Production Scale Girth Welding of High Strength Pipelines with Multiple Pipe Sources 4.5 Very Effective
230 6 DTPH56-08-T-000003 Development of Tools to Estimate Actual Corrosion Growth Rates (Internal and External) of Gas Pipelines 4.5 Very Effective
240 6 DTPH56-08-T-000014 Effect of Concentration and Temperature of Ethanol in Fuel Blends on Microbial and Stress Corrosion Cracking of Pipeline Steels 4.5 Very Effective
295 6 DTPH56-09-T-000003 New Design and Construction Techniques for Transportation of Ethanol and Ethanol/Gasoline Blends in New Pipelines 4.5 Very Effective
224 7 DTPH56-07-T-000009 In-Situ Hydrogen Analysis in Weldments: Novel NDE for Weld Inspection 4.4 More than Effective
229 7 DTPH56-08-T-000001 Development of a Commercial Model to Predict Stress Corrosion Cracking Growth Rates in Operating Pipelines 4.4 More than Effective
246 7 DTPH56-08-T-000013 Effect of Ethanol Source on Stress Corrosion Cracking of Carbon Steel 4.4 More than Effective
258 7 DTPH56-08-T-000024 Broadband Electromagnetic Technology Sensor to Assess Ferrous Pipes without Removing Coatings in Both Traditional and Keyhole Excavations 4.4 More than Effective
296 7 DTPH56-09-T-000004 Stress Corrosion Cracking of Pipeline Steels in Fuel Grade Ethanol and Blends 4.4 More than Effective
232 8 DTPH56-08-T-000004 Improving Magnetic Flux Leakage In-Line Inspection Corrosion Sizing Using Phased Array Guided Ultrasonic Waves 4.3 More than Effective
239 9 DTPH56-08-T-000005 Development and demonstration of an integrated tool for mapping, sizing and evaluation of SCC for remaining strength prediction 4.2 More than Effective
251 9 DTPH56-08-T-000008 Achieving Maximum Crack Remediation Effect from Optimized Hydrotesting 4.2 More than Effective
277 10 DTPH56-09-T-000001 Pig Mounted Trials for Internal Corrosion Monitoring Fluidized Sensors 4.0 More than Effective