L52345 Summary Report for Weld Design Testing and Assessment Procedures for High Strength Pipelines

Long-distance high-strength pipelines are increasingly being constructed for the efficient transportation of energy products. While the high-strength linepipe steels and high productivity welding processes are being applied, the procedures employed for linepipe property specification, welding procedure qualification, and weld integrity assessment remain largely unchanged, particularly from the viewpoint of actual pipeline construction. A significant body of knowledge exists in limited circles of researchers and a minority of large energy companies. However, the broad industry does not benefit from this knowledge until the relevant codes and standards are updated. The use of existing codes without proper consideration of the unique features of the modern high-strength linepipes can lead to higher costs, or, in some cases, reduced safety margins. To develop understanding of the unique features of modern high-strength girth welds and to incorporate this understanding into actionable tools for the pipeline industry. The work products of this project include: Recommended format for linepipe specifications, All-weld-metal tensile test protocol, Low-constraint SE(T) toughness test protocol, Curved-wide-plate (CWP) test protocol, Material property considerations for weld integrity, and Application and validation of strain-based design technology.