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Validating Digital Twin Model of a Complex Pipeline System

Historically the corrosion condition and cathodic protection (CP) effectiveness of pipeline networks have been monitored by over-the-line surveys. Pipe-to-soil potentials and rectifier outputs are the major parameters measured, and for some pipelines a more intensive close interval survey is executed. Today test stations and more frequently rectifiers are equipped with remote monitoring devices which is shifting the industry towards the world of digitization. Unfortunately, external corrosion is still not fully under control.

Product Number: 51323-18958-SG
Author: Keith Parker, Christophe Baete, Trey Johnston
Publication Date: 2023
$0.00
$20.00
$20.00

Operating a pipeline requires regular field surveys for controlling external corrosion threats. Surveys are typically performed at rectifiers and test stations, and occasionally a close interval survey between test stations is performed. Pipeline surveys provide only an indirect measure of the corrosion threat and are either labor intensive or do not provide sufficient granularity and accuracy to pinpoint corrosion features in a timely manner.
A computational model of the primary and third party (crossing) pipelines and associated cathodic protection systems is built and further calibrated to accurately simulate protection status based on survey and monitoring data. The resulting digital twin is a replica of the real-world condition with a resolution at pipeline joint level for its full pipeline length. Fluctuations in field data are captured and translated into IR-free potentials and corrosion rate distribution at coating defects along the pipeline.
This article discusses a case study of a calibrated digital twin model of a complex pipeline system. Back testing based on historical survey data was performed to identify events on the pipeline that increase the corrosion risk. The digital model will be used to improve the corrosion prevention strategy within an integrated external corrosion management program.

Operating a pipeline requires regular field surveys for controlling external corrosion threats. Surveys are typically performed at rectifiers and test stations, and occasionally a close interval survey between test stations is performed. Pipeline surveys provide only an indirect measure of the corrosion threat and are either labor intensive or do not provide sufficient granularity and accuracy to pinpoint corrosion features in a timely manner.
A computational model of the primary and third party (crossing) pipelines and associated cathodic protection systems is built and further calibrated to accurately simulate protection status based on survey and monitoring data. The resulting digital twin is a replica of the real-world condition with a resolution at pipeline joint level for its full pipeline length. Fluctuations in field data are captured and translated into IR-free potentials and corrosion rate distribution at coating defects along the pipeline.
This article discusses a case study of a calibrated digital twin model of a complex pipeline system. Back testing based on historical survey data was performed to identify events on the pipeline that increase the corrosion risk. The digital model will be used to improve the corrosion prevention strategy within an integrated external corrosion management program.

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Picture for Corrosion Data Management Using 3D Visualisation and a Digital Twin
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Corrosion Data Management Using 3D Visualisation and a Digital Twin

Product Number: 51320-14535-SG
Author: Robert Adey, Cristina Peratta, John Baynham
Publication Date: 2020
$20.00

There is a gap between the Integrity management systems used by companies to manage their assets and the needs of the CP engineer. Integrity management systems do not fully meet the needs of the engineer responsible for corrosion as they do not provide access and visualizations of all the data the engineer needs to make fast and informed decisions. There is also often no easy way to see the trends in the data, or easily access the relevant video and photographic data also recorded during the survey.

Data from surveys is normally contained in reports and EXCEL spreadsheets often with different measurement locations and inconsistent naming of the locations between reports. In this paper a system is introduced which enables engineers to manage and visualise in 3D CP survey data and provide access to all the relevant information through a 3D visual interface to any member of the teams. The software gives the engineer the ability to visualize in 3D the historical and predicted CP protection on the structure and the status of the anodes in the CP system. It also provides information on long term trends in the survey data.

By integrating the corrosion data with a simulation model a “digital twin” of the structure can be created to make predictions of the present and future protection of all parts of the structure. For example the engineer can easily use the software to systematically monitor the differences between the model predictions and survey data to identify anomalies and give early identification of problems which will require action.

The paper will describe the system developed and present applications of both the 3D corrosion data visualisation and the simulation based digital twin