Performance Evaluation and Risk Assessment of Excessive Cathodic Protection on Vintage Pipeline Coatings

Overview

Main Objective

The project will develop a model for use by operators to investigate coating disbondment from vintage pipelines under cathodic protection (CP). The researcher will use the experimental testing, numerical analysis, and the resulting coating performance data to develop a probabilistic degradation model that operators can use to determine pipeline sections in need of coating remediation and recoating times.

Public Abstract

To address DOT's vital need of maintaining the safety and integrity of the vintage pipeline infrastructure, the proposed project will focus on performance evaluation of vintage pipeline coatings under excessive CP. This study will utilize the experimental testing and numerical analysis to investigate coating disbondment under CP, which will help identify key influencing factors and understand the mechanism on cathodic disbondment. Meanwhile, the obtained coating performance profile will be used for the probabilistic degradation model development, which is crucial for evaluating time-dependent pipeline reliability. Knowing how the influencing factors and excessive CP impacts the coating and pipeline performance, the critical section of the pipeline and the recoating time can be determined.

Upon completion, the proposed project is expected to result in 1) a better understanding of coating cathodic disbondment mechanism; (2) industry ready probabilistic prediction models for coating degradation; (3) a crucial body of knowledge of coating performance under CP, which will facilitate CP design and standards as well as recoating recommendations; and (4) better knowledge of the propagation and quantification of prevailing uncertainties in prediction models for the quantitative risk management of pipelines. The outcomes will be presented as technical reports, scientific publications, and conference presentations. The proposed effort provides a transformative technical solution of assessing coating cathodic disbondment on vintage pipelines, and addresses technical challenges that are not well addressed yet in academia and pipeline industry including identification of critical key factors in coating cathodic disbondment, development of empirical relationships between coating disbondment profile and key factors, and probabilistic performance evaluation of coated vintage pipeline under cathodic protection. This project also advances many aspects of coating characterization, profiling, diagnosis, and prognosis, with specific design considerations to improve the effectiveness of CP. Therefore, the project directly addresses the objectives of Research Area #1 in this CAAP NOFO. At a broader scale, the outcome from this project will provide tools and solutions to pipeline operators to assist with detecting and predicting coating disbondment, applying the appropriate amount of CP, and making effective and efficient decision (such as recoating).

The interdisciplinary nature of the research provides an ideal learning environment in which graduate and undergraduate students will be exposed to corrosion engineering, material science, numerical modeling, probabilistic methods, and risk analysis concepts, as they learn to apply their coursework to complex real-world applications. Thus, the proposed project will be able to equip the students with the risk quantification skills needed for the pipeline industry.

Anticipated Results: The proposed project is expected to result in (1) a better understanding of coating cathodic disbondment mechanism; (2) industry ready probabilistic predication models for coating degradation; (3) a crucial body of knowledge of coating performance under CP; and (4) better knowledge of the propagation and quantification of prevailing uncertainties in prediction models for the quantitative risk management of pipelines.

Potential Impact on Safety: The proposed project will address the vital need of maintaining the safety and integrity of the vintage pipeline infrastructure. The outcome will provide the needed knowledge of coating performance under CP and facilitate for CP design and standards as well as recoating recommendations.

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