PR-348-09602-R01 Determine New Design and Construction Techniques for Transportation of Ethanol

This report summarizes results of the research study titled, “Determine New Design and Construction Techniques for Transportation of Ethanol and Ethanol/Gasoline Blends in New Pipelines” (WP #394 / DTPH56-09-T-000003). It was prepared for the United States Department of Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Office of Pipeline Safety. The technical tasks in this study included activities to characterize the impact of selected metallurgical processing and fabrication variables on ethanol stress corrosion cracking (ethanol SCC) of new pipeline steels, develop a better understanding of conditions that cause susceptibility to ethanol SCC in fuel grade ethanol (FGE) to support better monitoring and control, and develop data / insights to provide industry-recognized standards and guidelines to reduce the occurrence of ethanol SCC. This research was approached through a collaboration of Honeywell Process Solutions (Honeywell), the Edison Welding Institute (EWI), and Electricore Inc. (prime contractor) with oversight and co-funding by the Pipeline Research Council International (PRCI) and Colonial Pipeline.

The program's tasks were as follows:

Evaluation of Steel Microstructure Effect on Ethanol SCC Resistance
Effects of Welding and Residual Stress
Evaluation of Surface Treatment Effects
Evaluate Effects of Pipe Manufacturing Process
Specification of Polymeric Materials for New Construction
Control and Monitoring of Oxygen Uptake
Internal Corrosion Monitoring
Standardization of SCC Test Methods
Roadmap for Industry Guidelines for Safe and Reliable Pipeline Handling of FGE