Author: Pipe Spring LLC

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Virtual Trainings and Cost Savings

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

During these uncertain times, it is crucial that the transportation networks that supply our critical industries (like the medical sector) with energy remain operational. This requires that repairs be made when necessary to our pipelines.

One of Pipe Spring LLC’s core values is creating products that install easily and eliminate human error during application. During the development process of our integrity enhancement products and repairs, every effort was made to reduce field variables. We have a product that is simple to install and can be repeated time and time again. The effort that was undertaken during development now allows us to easily transition to completely remote trainings during this COVID-19 pandemic. We are able to provide virtual support 24/7 to our customers and set up instruction for those who need to install Pipe Spring™ units that do not already have an installer, trainer, or subject matter expert manufacturer certification. For our United States clients, this will meet your OQ requirement when a manufacturer certification is needed. For our international clients, we can work with you to satisfy your training requirements as well. We are prepared to offer FREE VIRTUAL TRAINING to the industry to assist during these unprecedented times.

It is also important to note that an installation can be made easily with only two people. Under certain circumstances, a single individual could install a unit by him/herself if needed. Current recommendations to combat COVID-19 advise that people should be in groups of ten people or fewer. We are pleased to be able to meet this recommendation even in routine circumstances.

Additionally, our products are a fraction of the cost of other repair technologies on the market. In the coming months, as we recover from this pandemic, our products will remain the most economical option for our clients.

To set up a virtual training and discuss your repair needs during this difficult time contact us today! We are here to help our industry get through these tough times and make necessary repairs to our infrastructure while remaining as safe as possible.

Be well friends,

Molly Laughlin Doran, Owner

 

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FAQ Series: How Does Pipe Spring™ Compare to Composite Repairs and Welded Steel Sleeves?

Question: How does Pipe Spring™ compare to composite repairs?

Answer: Pipe Spring™ utilizes material, steel, to wrap around the pipe. Composites utilize material, thermoset resin reinforced by fibers, to wrap around the pipe. The reinforcement mechanisms and concepts are similar.

Composites are best thought of as thixotropic material. The resin and fibers can move and change over time. They are known to display a degradation in mechanical properties over time particularly when exposed to specific environmental conditions or to various chemicals. Composites can be designed to be very anisotropic and have very different strength in various directions. For pipeline applications, two broad categories of composites are common:

  • Pre-cured laminated composites applied in the field with adhesives systems
  • Wet applied systems that are comprised of a strength member (fibers) and a thermoset resin which is wet when applied.

A properly designed repair must be based on the degraded or long-term failure strength of the composite material. The degradation during service life of the effective modulus of elasticity of composite repairs remains an area of some controversy related to long term effectiveness.

Pipe Spring™ is not a composite repair. However, it is installed in a similar fashion to the pre-cured laminated composite systems. Recent advances in technology have enable a minimization of field variables and simplification of installation. Efforts have been made to make the installation system as quick, simple, and repeatable as possible.  This is intended to save operators time and money and result in excellent quality installations. Wet applied composites systems can require specific skills and experience for effective long term repairs. This can result in greater installation costs. The isotropic, homogeneous, and non-degrading material properties of steel result in thinner repairs. The axial strength provided can be calculated in addition to the traditional hoop stress models. The fracture toughness of the Pipe Spring™ steel sleeve is extraordinarily high due to the thin-layers and laminated design. This property is beneficial for mitigation of future potential mechanical damage.

Additionally, for Strained based concerns, Pipe Spring™ significant advantages:

  • Axial strength
  • Non-degradation of material properties during service life (strength and modulus)
  • Initial stress/strain response
  • Improved bulk effective modulus of elasticity.
  • Cyclical performance of adhesive system (10 million cycles)

Question: How does Pipe Spring™ compare to welded steel sleeves?

Answer: Pipe Spring™ is a modern version of a “Type A” sleeve with the welding eliminated and adhesive utilized to hold the sleeve together. “Type B” sleeves have circumferential fillet welds at the end of each sleeve to join the pipe body and sleeve as one welded unit. “Type B” sleeves are sometimes utilized when leaks are projected to become a threat. The fillet welds are intended to contain the potential leak.

Some operators decline to utilize “Type A” sleeves, as they provide no axial strength and they would not contain pressure in the event of a leak. Some operators decline to utilize “Type “B” sleeves due to concerns related to metallurgical effects of welding on vintage pipe often with thinned walls due to external and/or internal corrosion. There are also safety concerns related to burn thru via high temperature welding arcs.

Some operators prefer to avoid welding “on” or “to” the pipe at all based on safety concerns related the welding process near the product being transported within the pipe. Welded steel sleeves can also be quite thick and heavy and require significant material handling and welding time. They may also require delayed weld inspection. Welded steel sleeves can be expensive to install and difficult to achieve the necessary quality desired. Fit up issues related to ovality or the presence of longitudinal welds also create a list of specific concerns. The welds created to hold the welded steel sleeves together can ultimately be the limiting life factor related to cyclical performance.

Pipe Spring™ provides the known behavior and properties of steel while eliminating the need to weld.

 

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FAQ Series: How Does Pipe Spring™ Work? What Integrity Threats Does Pipe Spring™ Address?

Question: How does Pipe Spring™ work?

Answer: The laminated steel sleeve reinforces the existing pipe.

For metal loss defects: The thinned section of the existing pipe will tend to display strain and will begin to bulge and yield in the radial direction due to internal pressure. A threat to the pipeline integrity exists. With a properly installed Pipe Spring™ sleeve, the thinned ligament utilizes the high compressive strength filler material to transfer the load to the laminated steel sleeve. The steel sleeve then shares the stress with the pipe. Metal loss defects cannot bulge and yield. Metal loss defects are effectively mitigated.

For integrity enhancement applications: Wet uncured filler material is placed around any weld or protuberance from the pipe surface. The thin layer steel is wrapped around then pipe with the adhesive system applied between each layer. Out-of-round or ovality of the pipe is addressed by the conformity of the thin layer steel and the filler. The system quickly transfers load to the resultant steel sleeve. The engineering parameters of the steel sleeve augmentation can be calculated for hoop and axial strength. This can be added to the known minimum value of the pipe (perhaps recent known pressure if the grade of the pipe is unknown). The effective fracture toughness of the laminated steel sleeve is extremely high. The reduction in stress via the augmentation and the fracture toughness of the augmentation can be utilized for calculations related to fracture mechanics. The laminated steel sleeve augmentation provides excellent mitigation of potential future third-party mechanical damage.

Question: What integrity threats does Pipe Spring™ address?

Answer: Pipe Spring™ is a modern version of a “Type A” sleeve with the welding eliminated and adhesive utilized to hold the sleeve (coil) together. The list of integrity threats which are properly addressed by a “Type A” sleeve is also the appropriate list for Pipe Spring™. In addition, Pipe Spring™ is adhered to the pipe via a high strength adhesive. Effective axial strength can be calculated as the lesser of the adhesive bond strength to the pipe or the axial strength of the steel sleeve for the appropriate cross-sectional area. Pipe Spring provides axial strength to mitigate threats with an axial component.

 

 

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FAQ Series: What is Pipe Spring™? Why Use Pipe Spring ™?

Question: What is Pipe Spring™? 

Answer: Pipe Spring™ utilizes thin layer steel and a modern toughened adhesive system to create a laminated steel sleeve system. A two-component epoxy system is used as a filler material and to fill any area of metal loss or around any weld or other protuberance on the pipe. The resultant steel sleeve provides reinforcement to the pipe and effectively mitigates various integrity threats. It can be used as a repair system. It can also be utilized to augment existing pipe for purposes of:

  • Change in design factor
  • Class location change
  • Pressure increase
  • Providing additional known properties so that your pipe can become Traceable Verifiable and Complete (TVC) and can be properly documented

Question: Why use Pipe Spring technology?

Answer: The Pipe Spring™ system was conceived to minimize or eliminate several challenges with existing technology and to utilize several opportunities to make improvements to pipeline repairs and integrity efforts.

Existing repair options present challenges!

Issues with Welded Steel Sleeves:

Welded steel sleeves require welding. The safety of the repair could be maximized if welding near the fluids carried within pipelines could be eliminated. The preferred method’s design guidance of welding on pipe and pressure vessels as well as cyclically loaded structures) strives to eliminate all partial penetration welds, use fillet welds only for shear applications, avoid striking arcs on the body of the weldment, and using subsequent weld beads to refine grain size. Welded steel sleeves for pipeline repair applications tend to violate some of these traditional best practices. In addition, the fit up to pipe is not always perfect. The result is less then optimum performance.

Issues with Composite Repairs:

Composites repair options eliminate the welding issues but introduce another set of challenges. Composites repairs degrade over time. Both the strength and effective modulus of elasticity may degrade. Thicker repairs are required to handle the strength issue. The modulus issue is not often addressed. The architecture of specific composite repairs can result in the requirement to have fibers straighten prior to sharing the stress from the pipe. The initial stress/strain response can display a significant delay. Some systems can require significant skill and care during installation.

The advantages of Pipe Spring™:

  • Thin layer steel conforms to out-of-round conditions or ovality
  • Steel does not degrade over time and has isotropic properties
  • The Pipe Spring system can provide axial strength
  • Faster Initial stress/strain response
  • Improved effective modulus of elasticity
  • Pipe Spring allows for thinner repairs, easier installations, and less soil stress
  • Improved cyclical performance
  • Improved long term performance
  • Intrinsic mitigation of potential damage to repair (laminated design)
  • Ease of Installation
  • Strain dependent concern mitigation
  • ILI visible and the system is ILI inspectable (MFL)
  • No heavy equipment needed for installation
  • Not dependent on skilled welding ability or advanced installation techniques

 

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Paper Alert: “Full Encirclement Engineered Laminated Steel Sleeve System: Engineering Development and Test Results”

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Pipe Spring LLC President & CEO, Shawn Laughlin, is slated to present "Full encirclement engineered laminated steel sleeve system: engineering development and test results" tomorrow morning at 8:00am as we wrap up a successful PPIM 2020! This is one paper you do not want to miss!

Abstract:

A full encirclement engineered steel laminate sleeve system has been developed and optimized for pipeline integrity management applications. The Leewis Augmentation Analysis (LAA), an engineering critical assessment (ECA) which follows the traditional Barlow and ASME B31G equations and methods serves as a basis to determine the pressure containing capability of repaired pipe has been created. This ECA incorporates the technical developments and progress in assessment methods over the last several decades and provides pipeline operates with improved functionality. The LAA is presented and discussed. Successful full scale ASME PCC-2 style burst and compliance tests are presented and reviewed. Highly instrumented full-scale testing has also been complete to obtain the effective modulus of elasticity of the system as well as a measurement of the rate at which internal pressure is shared by the repair system. The initial stress strain response has shown that at 50 micro-strain within the unrepaired base pipe the system has accepted load. Long term creep and cyclical testing of the steel laminate is presented.  10 million cycles at 50% of ultimate lap shear stress of the adhesive has been obtained, the testing is reviewed. These engineering parameters serve as the basis for mitigation of strain-based concerns.

Biography:

Shawn Laughlin is the President and CEO of Pipe Spring LLC. He has extensive experience in both the welding industry and the pipeline industry.

Mr. Laughlin began his career with Lincoln Electric. His international experience includes serving as Regional Manager for the Former Soviet Union and VP of Sales of Lincoln Electric Asia Pacific. In 1998 he accepted the position of President and CEO of Clock Spring Company, LP. Over his 18-year tenure, the company transformed from a break even start up to a globally recognized leader in pipeline repairs.

Mr. Laughlin holds a BS, Chemical Engineering from Cornell University and an MBA in International Business and Finance.

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Reliable Engineering Data and Analysis Complete and Now Available

Pipe Spring LLC is pleased to announce the completion of our "Reliable Engineering Data and Analysis" packet. This package is available for download on our website for potential customers and friends of Pipe Spring LLC. The document is password protected under our testing page. If you would like to access the full scope of testing information please contact [email protected]. This document contains everything your organization needs for regulatory review of our products.

Executive Summary

49 CFR 192.713 contains a requirement that a pipeline defect be: “Repaired by a method that reliable engineering tests and analyses show can permanently restore the serviceability of the pipe.”

Pipe Spring LLC has developed a new product and new technology, we have followed the industry precedents for engineering critical assessments and design as well as addressed the testing and analysis requirements. Common repair methods have included full encirclement welded steel sleeves (type “A”  and type “B”), and two basic forms of composite repairs, pre-cured laminated sleeves, and wet applied resin and fiber wraps. In addition, various methods have been utilized in an attempt to quickly share stress or place the pipe surface in compression to address strain dependent concerns.

Pipe Spring™ has been designed after a review of the mitigation principles with a goal of maximizing pipeline operator performance for a wide range of stress and strain dependent concerns. The technical goals of this effort were:

  • Improve axial performance
  • Mitigate strain dependent concerns via elimination of response lags
  • Provide non-degrading strength sufficient for all application
  • Provide useful effective modulus of elasticity matched to pipe steel
  • Eliminate or minimize cyclical concerns of welds or composites
  • Provide a reinforcement that mitigates potential future third party damage to the reinforcement.

The compendium serves as documentation of the reliable engineering test and analysis. The document contains sections containing:

  • Engineering Critical Assessments (ECA)
    • These follow the traditional industry precedents and have been updated where regulation has changed in recognition of industry efforts and improved analysis over the decades. The results provide operators with flexibility to incorporate various assessment methods for defects within the repair assessment. These assessments cover the traditional stress-based metal loss defects as well as strain dependent concerns. Site specific or bespoke ECA’s which incorporate steel toughness or pipe fatigue issues may be required for some strain dependent concerns.
  • Component Testing
  • Full Scale Burst Testing
  • An Appendix of Additional Internal Evaluations

Conclusions:

The Pipe Spring™ system succeeded in restoring the damaged pipe past its theoretical failure pressure. The use of a steel laminated coil eliminates the degradation of material property concerns associated with composites. The compressive strength of the filler exceeds the industry standards. The creep and cyclical testing for the adhesive indicate that the system is ideal for strain dependent and cyclical concerns. The design of the system without welding eliminates hot work permits and safety concerns, as well as cracking and fatigue issues associated with welds. The response of the system demonstrated at only 50 micro-strain in unrepaired based pipe and the modulus of elasticity provide the basis for analysis of fracture and fatigue issues. Cyclical testing was stopped with no failure after 10 million cycles at 50% of ultimate lap shear strength of the adhesive.

The required engineering tests and analysis have been conducted. The results indicate performance metrics superior to other repair or mitigation methods and results in enhanced pipeline integrity. The system provides pipeline operators with lower procurement costs, superior performance, and lower long term total costs.

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Pipe Spring LLC Announces Successful Completion of Full Scale Testing

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Pipe Spring LLC is pleased to announce the successful test and evaluation of the Pipe SpringTM system completed by ADV Integrity in May 2019. The technical staff of ADV Integrity are highly experienced regarding the development, testing, and performance evaluation of non-metallic repairs. They have completed several hundred tests with similar configurations. The full report is available upon request via email at [email protected] or by contacting a Pipe Spring LLC representative.

“The results of this test successfully demonstrated that the Pipe SpringTM system can restore the structural integrity of a damaged pipe with a 75% wall loss corrosion defect. The Pipe SpringTM succeeded in restoring the damaged pipe past its theoretical failure pressure. The Pipe SpringTM system is not a true non‐metallic repair, but this test sample and procedure mirrors the pipe sample configuration for the ASME PCC‐2, Article 4.1, Appendix III, Short Term Spool Survival Test.”

Highlights of the program include:

  • A 77% wall loss defect with an 8-inch length and 6-inch width was restored to a capacity well above the potential operating range of the pipe. The SMYS of the pipe was 2470 psi. The MAOP (72% of SMYS) was 1779 psi. The defect successfully held until 3885 psi. This represents a pressure of 218% of the MAOP and 700 psi above the yield point of the unrepaired base pipe.Typical industry assessment methods of the defect include:
    • Theoretical contribution from the remaining thin ligament (.088 inch wall remaining) from ASME PCC-2 equation #12
      • At nominal X42 = 580 psi
      • At laboratory reported yield point of the steel (60.5 KSI) = 835 psi
      • At the apparent base pipe yield point (56.4 KSI) = 779 psi
    • ASME B31G (failure pressure)
      • At X 42 nominal= 1556 psi
      • At laboratory reported yield = 2242 psi
      • At apparent base pipe yield = 2090 psi
    • Modified ASME B31G (failure pressure)
      • At nominal X42 = 1355 psi
      • At laboratory reported yield = 1837 psi
      • At apparent yield of base pipe = 1730 psi
  • In addition to the standard defect geometry, a second Pipe Spring™ unit was installed on the pipe with no defect. This was done to develop data for evaluation of performance associated with strain dependent features and concerns.The highlights include:
    • Interlayer strain gauges indicate load sharing essentially immediately as the pipe experienced internal pressure (below 100 micro strain in the base pipe).
    • At MAOP, 1779 psi, the stain in the pipe under the Pipe Spring™ system was 5.5% below the stain in the unrepaired base pipe.
    • At SMYS, 2470 psi, the stain in the pipe under the Pipe Spring™ system was 6.5% below the strain in the base pipe.
    • At the actual yield of the unrepaired base pipe (3184 psi) the strain in the pipe under the Pipe Spring™ was reduced by 42.2 %.
    • At 10,000 microstrain of the base pipe (3445 psi, 140% of SMYS) the strain in the pipe under the Pipe Spring was reduced by 80.0%

This program involved significant instrumentation. The pipe specimen had a total of 18 bi-directional strain gauges for a total of 36 channels of data. For more information please view our summary documents:

Part I - Summary of ADV Test Program

Part II - Modulus - Summary of ADV Test Program

 

 

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Young Achievement Award

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This week at the Pipeline Pigging and Integrity Management Conference, our very own Molly Laughlin Doran was presented with the Young Achievement Award in recognition of her professional excellence, commitment, and contributions to the pipeline industry. Molly is a founding member of Young Pipeline Professionals USA and has held the positions of Secretary, Vice Chair, and Chair. Young Pipeline Professionals USA is just one of several organizations that now make up the Young Pipeliners International (YPI) movement. There are now Young Pipeline Professional organizations in Australia, Canada, Brazil, Europe. Mexico, and elsewhere.

At Pipe Spring LLC, we believe in giving back to the industry that has given us so much. Our employees will always be encouraged to get involved in the industry and volunteer their time to make the industry a better place.

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PPIM 2019

Pipe Spring LLC will be exhibiting at the 31st annual Pipeline Pigging and Integrity Management Conference at George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas February 19th- 21st. PPIM is the industry’s only forum devoted exclusively to pigging for maintenance and inspection, as well as pipeline integrity evaluation and repair. Come visit Molly and Shawn at booth 336. We will have demonstration pieces and samples of our products.

Molly will also be representing Young Pipeline Professionals USA throughout the week. For more information on how to get involved in this amazing organization please stop by booth 209.