Integrity Management of ERW Pipe

Problem Defined
written by Julia Race

How is ERW pipe made?

In the production of ERW (Electric Resistance Welded) pipe, strip is
Hook Crack

formed into pipe and simultaneously heated and forced together

through a pair of pressure rolls. This process squeezes the material to

Approach
Integrity Management of ERW Pipelines

TranScan Inspection Tool

the OD and ID, which is trimmed off. After forming, the bondline is
Lack of Fusion/
Cold Welds

heat treated by induction heating to temper back any hard

microstructures produced during the welding process.

Assuming the pipeline has a hydrostatic test (either during

construction or sometime during operation) an integrity
strategy can be developed.

The types of ERW pipe relate to the heat source used in their
Stitching

manufacture.
LF low frequency direct current
HF high frequency direct current

Brittle Weld Line

Microstructure

Assess the number of failures that have occurred on the

line. Quantify the defects (length/depth) that would have
survived the last hydrostatic test.

HFI high frequency inductance

Many of the problems associated with ERW pipes have occurred in pipe
manufactured pre-1970 using the low frequency (LF) method.

Preferential
Corrosion Defect

Utilize the results or reassess fatigue life and TranScan data

to develop a rehabilitation strategy for the pipeline. The
approach is refined to optimize integrity over the
operational life of the pipeline.
If a hydrostatic test was never conducted on the line, and
if it can be independently validated that there are no cold
welds, then the approach described above is applicable.

The defects which are common in ERW pipe can be sites for
the initiation of in-service cracks. Consequently a fatigue
assessment based on actual pressure cyclic data can be
conducted to determine the extent of any growth.

Detection of Seam Weld Cracks

What are the problems?

Cold Welds
Cold welds are caused by a Lack of Fusion (LoF) between the parent
plates due to inadequate heating and/or pressure during the welding
process. The number of cold welds has reduced since the introduction
of HF and HFI.

Conduct a fatigue analysis to evaluate when the defects are

expected to reach the dimensions to cause a failure during
normal operating conditions. Then consider utilizing the
Circumferential MFL (TranScan) to characterize the defect
population on the pipeline. Crack opening limitation of 0.1mm.

TranScan Signal

Dig Result

Stitching
Stitching is unique to LF welded seams. Non-uniform heating results in
a variation of properties occurring at regular intervals resulting in a
series of black oxide patches on the surface where no bond exists.
Plate Misalignment

Benefits of an ERW Pipe Integrity Management Program

Misalignment occurs when the plate edges are not aligned as they are
offered up for welding resulting in a step in the surface which can

ERW Integrity Management Example

initiate further defects.

Heat Treatment Misalignment
The bond line can become twisted as it moves through the rolls and
the subsequent heat treatment becomes aligned in the wrong place.
Hook Cracks
Hook cracks result from metal separation around non-metallic inclusions
in the parent plate. As the material is rolled these inclusions are elongated

Background
A company in Africa operates a 600 km refined products pipeline.
The pipe is ERW Grade X52 manufactured in 1964 using the HF method.
The pipeline has experienced failures from hook cracks, lack of fusion defects, preferential
corrosion and 3rd party damage.
A Circumferential MFL inspection was used to detect seam weld
defects and dents in the pipeline.

parallel to the rolling direction. During welding the edges of the plate
are forced upwards and become oriented perpendicular to the hoop
stress. In this orientation they reduce the pressure carrying capacity of
the pipe.

What about in service?

Preferential Corrosion
Preferential corrosion along the ERW line is particularly found in high
sulphur materials that have been not been heat treated. The weld line
in these materials is more susceptible to corrosion due to the

The ERW Manufacturing Process

Approach
Materials testing and metallurgical examination of a pipe sample confirmed the
presence of preferential corrosion and determined that the ERW seam was brittle.
Therefore an assessment method suitable for the assessment of crack-like defects in low
toughness material was selected.
The critical seam weld defects were identified, allowing a repair strategy to be
developed.
In addition, all of the other defects detected by the tool could also be assessed, e.g.
repairs, dents, general metal loss, ferrous metal objects.

Fatigue of ERW Pipeline

FATIGUE

One of the consequences of having defects

in ERW pipe is the growth of those defects
under cyclic loading.
HOOK CRACK

Defects can extend as a result of fatigue to

a size that will fail at the operating pressure.

microstructure and the presence of non-metallic inclusions. The weld

area will therefore corrode at a higher rate than the surrounding material.

Given information about the pressure

cycling on the pipeline, fatigue studies can
be undertaken to calculate the fatigue life
of the pipeline.

The result is the formation of a V-shaped groove along the weld line in a
region that tends to have inferior properties to the parent pipe material.
Fatigue
PRESSURE, BAR

Un-heat treated
Microstructure

If the pipeline is subjected to a cyclic loading regime, then it is possible

that fatigue cracks could initiate at the pre-existing manufacturing
defects and grow during

READINGS

the service life of the pipeline.

Crack

Excavation Site

Mechanical Damage

Depth vs. Length

Line Pressure
against Time

As the TranScan tool provides information

on actual defect population, a more
accurate fatigue study can be conducted
following an inspection.