A 168-km (104 mi.) in-line inspection was performed on a NPS 36 in. natural gas pipeline near Edson, Alberta, Canada, which experienced a stress corrosion cracking (SCC) incident on August 8 th, 1998. A liquid coupled ultrasonic crack detection ILI (inline inspection) tool was selected for its ability to accurately identify and size crack-like
defects in pipelines. The in-line inspection required the construction of new facilities to facilitate the in-line inspection. The in-line inspection was completed on June 22, 1999, from mainline valves 1025 to 1020.
Following the analysis of the tool data, features were investigated. The ILI inspection allowed TCPL to expeditiously repair the line. Good correlation was found between the tool predictions and field measurements. Following the excavation and repair of all predicted SCC features in the section deeper than 1 mm, the line returned to full service in April, 2000.