Panel Peer Review of PHMSA Pipeline Safety Research Projects: 2011
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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 2011 peer review panel consisted of nine government and independent experts. Three panelists were active Government representatives from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and from the Department of Energy Biomass Program. The remaining six panelists were independent contractors and retired Government or retired pipeline operator employees some of which 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-three active research projects were peer reviewed by expert panelists using 13 evaluation criteria. These criteria were grouped within the following five evaluation categories:
- Project relevance to the PHMSA mission.
- Project management.
- Approach taken for transferring results to end users.
- Project coordination with other closely related programs.
- Quality of project results.
The rating scale possibilities were "Ineffective," "Moderately Effective," "Effective," or "Very Effective." During the April 2011 review, the average program rating between all the evaluation categories was “Very Effective.” For this year, 24 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 in Appendix C of the below report.
| Very Effective | 4.5 to 5.0 (24 Projects) |
| Effective | 3.0 to 4.4 (9 Projects) |
| Moderately Effective | 2.0 to 2.9 (0 Projects) |
| Ineffective | 0.0 to 1.9 (0 Projects) |
| Average Program Score | 4.6 |
| Review Categories and Sub-Criteria | Score | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Project relevance to PHMSA mission. | 4.7 | Very Effective |
| 1.1. How well does the project illustrate its relevance for enhancing pipeline safety and or protecting the environment? | 4.7 | Very Effective |
| 1.2. How well does the project describe its relevance to research program goals (technology, consensus standard or produce general knowledge)? | 4.7 | Very Effective |
| 2. Project Management. | 4.5 | Very Effective |
| 2.1. How well is the project making progress toward the work scope objectives? | 4.5 | Very Effective |
| 2.2. How well is the project being managed (on budget and schedule)? | 4.4 | Effective |
| 3. Approach taken for transferring results to end users. | 4.6 | Very Effective |
| 3.1. Is there a plan for dissemination of results, including publications and reporting? | 4.6 | Very Effective |
| 3.2. How much end user involvement is incorporated into the work scope? | 4.6 | Very Effective |
| 3.3. For results that may include marketable products and technologies, are commercialization or U.S. Patent plans established? | 4.5 | Very Effective |
| 4. Project coordination with other related programs. | 4.6 | 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? | 4.5 | Very Effective |
| 4.3. Has consideration been given to possible future work? | 4.4 | Effective |
| 5. Quality of project results. | 4.6 | Very Effective |
| 5.1. Are the intended results supported by the work performed during the project? | 4.5 | Very Effective |
| 5.2. Are the intended results consistent with scientific knowledge and/or engineering principles? | 4.7 | Very Effective |
| 5.3. Are the intended results presented in such a manner as to be useful for identified end users? | 4.5 | Very Effective |
| Average Category Score and Rating: | 4.6 | Very Effective |
| Project | Rank | Contract | Project Title | Score | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 203 | 1 | DTPH56-06-T-000016 | Development of Dual Field MFL Inspection Technology to Detect Mechanical Damage | 5.0 | Very Effective |
| 294 | 1 | DTPH56-09-T-000005 | Performance Evaluation of High-Strength Steel Pipelines for High-Pressure Gaseous Hydrogen Transportation | 5.0 | Very Effective |
| 296 | 1 | DTPH56-09-T-000004 | Stress Corrosion Cracking of Pipeline Steels in Fuel Grade Ethanol and Blends | 5.0 | Very Effective |
| 235 | 2 | DTPH56-08-T-000009 | Meandering Winding Magnetometer-Array Detection & Characterization of Damage through Coatings and Insulation | 4.9 | Very Effective |
| 358 | 2 | DTPH56-10-T-000013 | Dent Fatigue Life Assessment - Development of Tools for Assessing the Severity and Life of Dent Features | 4.9 | 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 |
| 351 | 3 | DTPH56-10-T-000006 | Landfill and Wastewater Treatment RNG Chemical and Physical Profiling: Increasing the Database Set | 4.8 | Very Effective |
| 176 | 4 | DTPH56-05-T-0001 | Understanding Magnetic Flux Leakage (MFL) Signals from Mechanical Damage in Pipelines | 4.7 | Very Effective |
| 295 | 4 | DTPH56-09-T-000003 | New Design and Construction Techniques for Transportation of Ethanol and Ethanol/Gasoline Blends in New Pipelines | 4.7 | Very Effective |
| 320 | 4 | DTPH56-10-T-000004 | Technical and Economic Feasibility of Preventing SCC through Control of Oxygen | 4.7 | Very Effective |
| 322 | 4 | DTPH56-10-T-000005 | Compatibility of Non-Ferrous Metals with Ethanol | 4.7 | Very Effective |
| 354 | 4 | DTPH56-10-T-000009 | Meandering Winding Magnetometer Array Characterization of Mechanical Damage and Corrosion | 4.7 | Very Effective |
| 363 | 4 | DTPH56-10-T-000018 | Odorant Effectiveness | 4.7 | Very Effective |
| 229 | 5 | DTPH56-08-T-000001 | Development of a Commercial Model to Predict Stress Corrosion Cracking Growth Rates in Operating Pipelines | 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 |
| 353 | 5 | DTPH56-10-T-000008 | Completion of Development of Robotics Systems for Inspecting Unpiggable Transmission Pipelines | 4.6 | Very Effective |
| 356 | 5 | DTPH56-10-T-000011 | Integrated Internal Inspection and Cleaning Tool Technology for Pipelines | 4.6 | Very Effective |
| 367 | 5 | DTPH56-10-T-000022 | Development and Field Testing of a Highly Sensitive Mercaptans Instrument | 4.6 | Very Effective |
| 321 | 6 | DTPH56-10-T-000003 | Feasibility of Chemical Inhibition of Ethanol SCC | 4.5 | Very Effective |
| 352 | 6 | DTPH56-10-T-000007 | SETTING SAFE LIMITS ON BIODIESEL CONSTITUENTS FOR PIPELINE INTEGRITY | 4.5 | Very Effective |
| 359 | 6 | DTPH56-10-T-000014 | Selection of Pipe Repair Methods | 4.5 | Very Effective |
| 362 | 6 | DTPH56-10-T-000017 | Fuelfinder: Remote Leak Detector for Liquid Hydrocarbons | 4.5 | Very Effective |
| 365 | 6 | DTPH56-10-T-000020 | Acoustic-based Technology to Detect Buried Pipes | 4.5 | Very Effective |
| 366 | 6 | DTPH56-10-T-000021 | Advanced Learning Algorithms for the Proactive Infrasonic Pipeline Evaluation Network (PIGPEN) Pipeline Encroachment Warning System | 4.5 | Very Effective |
| 240 | 7 | DTPH56-08-T-000014 | Effect of Concentration and Temperature of Ethanol in Fuel Blends on Microbial and Stress Corrosion Cracking of Pipeline Steels | 4.4 | More than Effective |
| 251 | 7 | DTPH56-08-T-000008 | Achieving Maximum Crack Remediation Effect from Optimized Hydrotesting | 4.4 | More than Effective |
| 319 | 7 | DTPH56-10-T-000002 | Corrosion and Integrity Management of Biodiesel Pipelines | 4.4 | More than Effective |
| 324 | 8 | DTPH56-10-T-000001 | Effect of Microstructure of Pipeline Steels on Ductility and Fatigue Properties in High Pressure Hydrogen Atmosphere | 4.3 | More than Effective |
| 355 | 8 | DTPH56-10-T-000010 | Development of a Model to Accurately Predict the Conditions of Carrier Pipe within Casings Based on Conditions at the Casing Ends | 4.3 | More than Effective |
| 364 | 8 | DTPH56-10-T-000019 | Advanced Development of PipeGuard Proactive Pipeline Damage Prevention System | 4.3 | More than Effective |
| 323 | 9 | DTPH56-10-T-000001 | Cost-Effective Techniques for Weld Property Measurement and Technologies for Improving Weld Hydrogen Embrittlement and Intergranular Stress Corrosion Cracking Resistance for Alternative Fuel Pipelines | 4.1 | More than Effective |
| 361 | 10 | DTPH56-10-T-000016 | Realistic Strain Capacity Models for Pipeline Construction and Maintenance | 4.0 | More than Effective |
| 360 | 11 | DTPH56-10-T-000015 | Optimization of Multi-Wire GMAW Welding Procedure for Heavy-Wall Offshore Pipeline Construction | 3.9 | More than Effective |