Measuring Tensile Strength and Fracture Toughness
ABI® technology is used to determine tensile and fracture toughness properties through a non-destructive mechanical testing method. It relies on progressive indentation intermediate partial unloading processes which are performed until maximum depth is reached.
Subsequently, the indenter is fully unloaded to complete the testing.The test using ABI® technology only requires a small volume of material to be tested which is ideal for components that may not be practical or cheap to produce cut samples for testing.
Client Case Studies
Ensuring Safe Modifications with ABI® Technology
The client was looking to determine the fracture toughness of the wall of a storage tank prior to making a nozzle / outlet cutout. Knowing this information was critical to prevent a tank fracture before making the modification. ABI® testing provided the mechanical properties of the wall of the tank and allowed the client to perform the modification safely.
data, not assumptions
Determining MAOP with Varying Wall Thickness
A run using a smart-pig MFL tool was conducted which discovered a pipe joint measuring 50’with an outer diameter of 12” that was reported to have a 0.281” wall thickness. The rest of the pipeline had a 0.312” wall thickness of Grade X52. It was apparent that the evenly reduced thickness was not a result of corrosion but was most likely caused by the replacement of the original joint.
This was done because the pipeline suffered severe centralized corrosion due to the pipe joint being fixed in a swamp area.The in-situ ABI® test confirmed that the mechanical properties requirements had been fulfilled by the joint that managed to meet Grade X65. This means that the MAOP of the line did not need to be reduced as it has been compensated by the increase of Grade X65 and not X52.
The MAOP consists of a total of three parameters namely SMYS x wall thickness / outer diameter of the pipe. This is on top of the various mandatory safety factors. This case study shows the complementary abilities that can be achieved when using in-situ ABI® testing and in-line inspection.
verifying new capital assets
Determining Pipe Grade Following an Acquisition
Determining the pipe grade based on the value of the yield strength measured by ABI® testing as well as the tensile strength (average value minus one standard deviation obtained from 5 ABI® tests). The values are to be compared to the API 5L specified minimum yield strength and tensile strength values per pipe grade.
The majority of in-situ ABI® tests were performed on the sections of pipelines that come with unknown grades (loss of material certificates due to mergers and acquisitions, retirements of staff, replacement of damaged or corroded joints with undocumented ones that only meet the values of outer diameter).