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April 15, 2008

PRCI Program on Structural Significance of Mechanical Damage to be Awarded Cofunding from PHMSA

Electricore has been selected for an award under PHMSA’s Broad Agency Announcement, DTPH56-07-BAA-000002, which was issued following the most recent Government / Industry Pipeline R&D Forum (New Orleans, LA, 7-8 Feb. 2007). PRCI teamed with Electricore, Gaz de France, and BMT Fleet Technologies to prepare and submit a proposal for expanded research on the structural significance of mechanical damage. The proposal builds upon a number of ongoing and planned PRCI research projects to provide detailed experimental data that support the development and validation of improved models for burst and fatigue strength of pipelines impacted by mechanical damage. These models will provide a basis for assessing the influence of mechanical damage interacting with secondary features (gouges, corrosion, and welds) on failure pressure and remaining life of operating pipelines. Electricore, the prime contractor for the project, is in communication with PHMSA on final contractual details regarding the project, and expects formal notification of project award in either April or May 2008. The total project value is estimated at $1.57 million, of which approximately $500,000 will be cofunding contributed by PHMSA. The additional funding will be applied to creating and testing additional defects which will expand the input data for burst and fatigue models.

In addition to the proposal described above, PRCI is also supporting several other proposals submitted to PHMSA in response to the BAA for which contract award is expected. Several of PRCI’s Project Teams agreed to incorporate the scopes of individual projects into the technical proposals submitted to PHMSA and contribute the funds approved for the project as cofunding in support of the proposal. The support was formalized through Letters of Support issued to PHMSA that included a commitment for cash cofunding and in-kind contributions. PRCI projects that were rolled into PHMSA proposals include:


  • SCC 2-8: Crack Depth, Knowledge and Experience Based Filters; included with a proposal submitted by Applus RTD – Development and demonstration of an integrated tool for mapping, sizing and evaluation of SCC for remaining strength prediction

  • ROW-5: Field Tests and Advanced Development of Pipeline Intrusion Sensor System; included with a proposal submitted by NYSEARCH – Advanced Development of Proactive Infrasonic Gas Pipeline Evaluation Network (PIGPEN)

  • MD 1-6: Ultrasonic Measurements of Strains in Pipelines; included in a proposal submitted by Luna Innovations Incorporated – Direct strain measurements and failure pressure prediction in mechanically damaged and strained pipes

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