Pipeline Repair of Corrosion and Dents: A Comparison of Composite Repairs and Steel Sleeves

Abstract

When pipeline repairs are made on high pressure onshore transmission pipelines, in modern times repairs typically involve steel sleeves or composite repair systems. A comprehensive testing program was conducted to evaluate the repair of severe corrosion and dents using composite materials, as well as Type A and B steel sleeves. Full-scale destructive testing was performed including cyclic pressure loading and burst testing. Along with testing to failure, strain gages installed beneath the repairs were used to quantify the level of reinforcement provided by the respective repair systems. In this seminal body of work, operators are given information that provides a direct comparison between these competing repair technologies. The fundamental objective in testing was to determine the service life of the competing repair technologies, although of specific interest in this study was an effort to qualify the relative performance of the composite repairs and steel sleeves. The authors also utilized the test results to quantify the service lives of the repaired anomalies based on the operating conditions of actual pipeline systems.