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An Introduction to In-plant Piping and Pipeline Fitness-for-Service 21

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Figure 1-7. Projection of metal loss onto longitudinal axis.

The use of the parameters L and A as defined in Eq. 1-4 for an array of
pits generally yields a conservative assessment of the remaining strength
for several reasons. The first reason is that Eq. 1-4 assumes that the cor-
roded pits are perfectly lined up in the axial direction of the pipe. When
they are not so lined up, Eq. 1-4 will underestimate the remaining
strength of the pipe. As shown in Figure 1-7, the line connecting the cor-
roded pits is projected onto the longitudinal axis of the pipe. The length
of the corroded region is the length of the projected line on the longitudi-
nal axis. The longitudinal axis is used for the projection because the hoop
stress is the maximum stress for internal pressure.
The second reason for the conservative assessment of Eq. 1-4 is that
corrosion pits are blunt defects compared to cracks and many other types
of flaws found in piping systems. It has been shown that blunt surface
flaws have significantly higher failure stress levels than sharp surface
flaws. For this reason, Eq. 1-4 was developed on the data of burst tests of
pipe having relatively sharp flaws. Thus, Eq. 1-4 will give conservative
predictions for the effects of blunt flaws. This conservatism has not been
changed in this modified approach.
The B31G criterion is based on the original Battelle work, which rep-
resents a simplified algorithm for the determination of the effect of a
corroded defect on the hoop stress of a pipe. It is not the purpose of this
document to duplicate the development or application of the B31G crite-
rion. Rather, we will address the practical application of the modified
criteria.