Kiefner and Associates, Inc. (Columbus, Ohio) is honored to announce its recent 3-year, $1.5MM USD project award under PHMSA Research Announcement # 693JK323RA0001. This significant recognition comes after a rigorous selection process where we were evaluated against several esteemed competitors in pipeline integrity engineering.

Kiefner’s President, Mr. L Trae J. Miller III, ESQ, PE, P.Eng, PgMP, CSP, PMP said, “We are thrilled and honored to have been selected by PHMSA to continue supporting the U.S. Department of Transportation’s mission of keeping people and our infrastructure safe. These types of projects help to preserve safety and our precious environment.”

A primary project objective is to better understand the implications of gaseous hydrogen and hydrogen blends in pipelines. Specifically, the study will analyze the effects of hydrogen on integrity threat evaluations that influence pipeline reliability and public safety, including the need for periodic inspections at appropriate time intervals. Kiefner will evaluate the criteria for failure of identified anomalies in hydrogen-affected steels and the remaining life/time-to-failure to reach critical flaw sizes when the crack growth rate may be affected by hydrogen.

Key components of our research include:

• • A literature review to gather insights from prior work and pilot projects related to how hydrogen may affect the traditionally identified threats to pipeline integrity, the effects of different hydrogen blend concentrations, and the use of inspection intervals for hydrogen pipelines by industry in the U.S. and globally.
  • An in-depth examination of the current ASME B31.8S, ASME B31.12, and 49 CFR 192 Codes and recommendations for updates that may be needed for the transportation of hydrogen or natural gas/hydrogen blends.
  • The development of case studies employing ILI-run data, along with information from ECAs, FFS, and FAs. Our approach will leverage the “what if” method to derive actionable insights.

We are privileged to collaborate with twelve distinguished members from various pipeline operating companies, academic institutions, and industry sectors through the formation of a Technical Advisory Panel (TAP). Their expertise will be invaluable in guiding our research and ensuring its relevance and impact. Their participation will also put them on the cutting edge to firsthand information for keeping their pipelines and, ultimately, the public safe.

Kiefner remains deeply committed to advancing the engineering field and contributing meaningful solutions to the industry’s evolving challenges. We extend our gratitude to all our partners and stakeholders for their continued support and collaboration.

Mr. Michiel Brongers, PE, PMP, FASME, a Principal Engineer at Kiefner, has been appointed Project Manager. For more information, please email us at [email protected].

#Hydrogen #Inlineinspection #EngineeringExcellence #PipelineIntegrity #KiefnerandAssociates