Crack Growth Modeling and Life Prediction of Pipeline Steels Exposed to Near-Neutral pH Environments: Dissolution Crack Growth and Occurrence of Crack Dormancy in Stage I

This investigation was initiated to provide governing equations for crack initiation, crack growth, and service life prediction of pipeline steels in near-neutral pH (NNpH) environments. This investigation has focused on the crack initiation and early-stage crack growth. The investigation considered a wide range of conditions that could lead to crack initiation, crack dormancy, and crack transition from a dormant state to active growth. It is concluded that premature rupture caused by stress cracking at a service life of about 20 to 30 years previously observed during field operation could take place only when the worst conditions responsible for crack initiation and growth have been realized concurrently at the site of rupture. This also explains the reason that over 95 pct of NNpH cracks remain harmless, while about 1 pct of them become a threat to the integrity of pipeline steels.