The Pipeline Research Council International (PRCI) is the basis of much of the international research for gas pipelines and above ground installations, providing knowledge to members effectively and economically. PRCI aims to conduct a collaboratively-funded research & development programme that enables energy pipeline companies around the world to provide safe, reliable, environmentally compatible, cost-efficient service to meet customer energy requirements.
Benefits
For the PRCI, formal cost/benefit studies of member participation show a consistently positive ratio for the reduced costs of operations and maintenance, inspection, materials, design, construction and testing. For example:
In the case of PRCI, National Grid and Cadent Gas can use its subscription fee to support its choice of projects, but additionally, National Grid and Cadent Gas have full access to the results of all other projects that they do not specifically support.
Learnings
Outcomes
The project value tracking is listed below:
· Maturity
o TRL2-7. Variety of projects covering multiple TRLs.
· Opportunity
o Variety of projects covering multiple assets.
· Deployment Costs
o Not possible to define deployment cost across large number of projects and TRLs.
· Innovation Cost
o £ 860,825. Annual contribution.
· Financial Saving
o Not possible to define savings across large number of projects.
· Safety
o Not possible to define safety improvements across large number of projects.
· Environmental
o Not possible to define environmental savings across large number of projects.
· Compliance
o Not possible to define compliance benefits across large number of projects.
· Skills & Competencies
o Projects could benefit whole business.
· Future Proof
o Projects include future topics such as hydrogen and CCUS.
The project is funded on a non-default basis and so full project reports cannot be released into the public domain. However, a lot of material is published on-line via the PRCI site and at pipeline conferences. The PRCI structures its work packages along well-defined themes.
The following projects were voted on by National Gas during 2024/25:
· TDC-1-1A Technology Development Center
· UP-2-05 Non-destructive Testing and Evaluation of Defects using Ultrasonic Mode Imaging
· MAT-7-2A Hard Spot Detection
· CPS-17-13 SRP LD: Testing of Macro-scale Gas Pipeline Leak Detection Technologies
· NDE-4-17B SRP CM: Crack-Like Defects Created by Pipe Manufacturer Database
· ENV-4-1B SRP GHZ: Assessing Interactive Threats at Pipeline Waterway Crossings
· GHZ-03-01 SRP GHZ Desktop study on effectiveness of hydrotechnical mitigation options
· LD-1-06 SRP LD Industry Technical Best Practice Using Inventory and CPM for Natural Gas Pipeline Leak
Detection
· LD-1-02 SRP LD Liquid Pipeline Leak Event Primary Data Repository
· LD-1-03 SRP LD Technical Best Practice for Computational Pipeline Monitoring on Liquid Pipelines
· GHZ-03-02 SRP GHZ Desktop review and gap analysis of remote and continuous scour monitoring technologies
· LD-1-05 SRP LD Assessment of Optical Technologies to Detect, Locate, and Quantify Methane Emission
· LD-2-01 SRP LD New Multi-Year Project: Improve Leak Detection Technology Performance Through Retrofittable Sensors
· IM-1-10 SRP CM Guidelines for matching ILI technology to expected crack-like morphology
· NDE-1-13 SRP CM Modeling the Effects of Crack Tip Radius and Crack Profile Shape in the FFS of SSWC & ERW/EFW
Manufacturing Defects
· EC-08-13 SRP CM Influence of External Hydrogen on Crack Growth
· EC-02-14 SRP CM Develop Best Practice Guidelines for Application of Machine Learning in Integrity Management Decisions
· DEFI-04-08 Full Scale Testing of Pipe for Hydrogen Service
A summary of the key outputs of selected priority PRCI projects is given below:
· JEFI-00-02/A – EFI Guidance Document
o This project is a collation of the latest industry knowledge on hydrogen gas transmission in seven topic areas: Safety; Integrity; Inspection and Maintenance; Compression; Measurement; Network Components / Blending; Underground Storage
o The first revision has been published (to PRCI members) and a second edition has just been started.
· JEFI-04-06 – Hydrogen Impact on Usage of Existing Integrity Assessment Models
o The aim of this project is to review the suitability of existing integrity assessment approaches for hydrogen pipelines.
o This project has just closed, with the supplier (ROSEN) giving recommendations for defect acceptance criteria and approaches for a wide range of defect/damage types for pipelines.
· JEFI-04-11/A – Develop Pipeline Industry Consensus Engineering Requirements (CER) for Hydrogen Transmission Pipelines – B31.8/B31.8S
o ASME appointed the EFI within PRCI to conduct review of the existing B31.12 hydrogen code with the intention of retiring that document and moving the transmission content into a new chapter in B31.8.
o The proposed new sections have been shared for review with project stakeholders with a final report published. Discussions have been ongoing to address feedback on the proposed new chapter following ballots of ASME voting members; the aim is still for inclusion in the next edition of B31.8 (expected 2026).
o Work has started this year on updates to the B31.8S – Managing System Integrity of Gas Pipelines which will incorporate learnings from JEFI-04-06.
· NDE-4-26 SRP CM: In-Line Inspection Performance on Tight Cracks
o This project is a review of available inline inspection technologies that are capable of detecting tight cracks such as those expected due to hydrogen embrittlement.
o This project in ongoing, with work currently underway to create defects in pipes on which the selected NDT technologies will be trialled.
Lessons Learnt
Over the last few years, PRCI membership has seen a greater diversification of membership. Where in previous years’ participation was predominantly from North American industry, there has been an increase in non-American participation from European countries and China. The uptake in wider global membership feeds into a wider range of research and areas of exploration that promotes a broader application globally. This benefits National Gas Transmission and Cadent by delivering an even wider breadth of research than ever before, and an increase in the leverage available with greater uptake in membership. Following feedback from the business the innovation team has focused on ways that the results and progress of the PRCI projects can be better disseminated to the wider business. This will allow the benefits of the research carried out by PRCI to be leveraged fully.
PRCI have become increasingly involved in the development of industry codes such as ASME B31.8, having access to the projects in which future codes requirements are being determined has proven invaluable for National Gas to feed into current and future projects.
