News & Updates

May  2007: KAI hires Ms. Aida Lopez-Garrity as Senior Corrosion Engineer and Manager of Direct Assessment

Kiefner & Associates, Inc. is pleased to announce that Ms. Aida Lopez-Garrity has joined our staff as Senior Corrosion Engineer and Manager of Direct Assessment. Aida, formerly with CC Technologies and TransCanada Pipelines has 26 years of experience in corrosion and materials engineering and on the application of pipeline integrity measures to buried pipelines, compressor stations, and petro-chemical plants. She has managed programs in all aspects of Direct Assessment, Cathodic Protection, Corrosion Monitoring, Welding, Protective Coatings, In-Line Inspection, NDE and Structure Integrity including SCC Evaluations and Repair Strategies. Her most relevant involvement includes: Chaiman of the NACE Task group that developed the NACE Standard Recommended Practice “Pipeline External Corrosion Direct Assessment Methodology” in 2002, collaborated in the first regulators approved DA validation program in the US which included the implementation of the four steps process for both ECDA and ICDA methodologies, developed ECDA and SCCDA procedures for numerous pipelines companies as part of their IMP programs, revised and audited pipeline ECDA programs for different operators, developed coating specifications and qualifying coatings for new construction, recoating, and cold-temperature application. Aida is currently a member of The National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE) and The Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists of Alberta.

April  2007: SCC and Corrosion Soils-map Based Risk Model

Kiefner & Associates Inc. (“KAI”) and Coast to Coast NDE (“Coast”) have jointly developed a Soils-map Based Risk Model. The model utilizes government soils mapping available as GIS shape files to calculate relative values of 10 variables relevant to SCC and corrosion. It then dynamically segments the client’s pipeline based on those 10 variables and assigns relative risk values for both types of SCC, external corrosion and MIC to each dynamic segment. The model is mechanistic and, as such, does not rely upon identifying “good” or “bad” soil types or upon the Client requiring any statistical data of discovered SCC. The model is based upon industry understanding of the most likely locations for SCC as a function of coating type, coating condition and CP effectiveness. If the SCC is occurring elsewhere than industry knowledge would indicate, the risk algorithms can be readily modified to reflect the Client’s unusual situation. If field investigation indicates that the coating condition or cathodic protection in a particular segment is better than indicated by the model based upon the soils and drainage conditions in that segment, the tabular values for those variables can be readily over-written in the Client’s GIS, which will immediately reduce the calculated risk value for that segment. Similarly, if the government maps indicated different drainage conditions than are found, any of the variables driving the risk algorithms can be adjusted accordingly. Having the pipeline segmented in terms of soils and drainage characteristics has the added advantage of providing an additional reference frame with which to describe the pipeline. This can be valuable, for example, to identify similar sites if, as required by the GAS IMP Rule §192.917(e)(5), extensive corrosion were to be found.

KAI and Coast jointly own and market the Soils-map Based Risk Model. All sales of the customized Soils-map Based Risk Model are based upon a Purchase Order for which Coast, KAI and the Client will all be signatories. The Purchase Order will include a Technical Description on which Coast, KAI and the Client agree that has been developed as a result of at least one meeting at which Coast, KAI and the Client are all present.

Customized Soils-map Based Risk Models that calculate relative risk of both types of SCC, external corrosion and MIC are offered for sale at a lump sum price per county based upon a minimum of 15 counties. Additional or unusual requirements by the Client may require a slight increase in the per county rate as agreed by all three parties and included in the Purchase Order. The current base price is included in the confidential Joint KAI-Coast Technical Description and Pricing Brochure that is available upon request to interested pipeline operators.

February  2007: Dr. John Kiefner retires

KAI announces the retirement of Dr. John F. Kiefner, after a 40-year career in the pipeline industry.  Dr. Kiefner practiced and espoused pipeline integrity management planning, and developed many of the tools and concepts to make pipeline integrity management possible, long before it became a standard practice.  He began his involvement with the pipeline industry at Battelle Memorial Institute – Battelle Columbus Labs (with a stint in the Houston office).  While there, he worked in close partnership with Bill Maxey and others to develop, test, and demonstrate numerous important concepts that led to practices widely used in the industry today.  These included:

• Developing the NG-18 log-secant equation describing the failure stress of pressurized pipe affected by an axial defect
• Developing analysis tools for evaluating corrosion defects in pipe such as the Modified B31G and RSTRENG
• Testing the effectiveness of reinforcement sleeves for the repair of pipe and in-service maintenance welding
• Demonstrating the effectiveness of hydrostatic testing and in-line inspection as techniques for revalidating the integrity of a pipeline
• Developing an understanding of the behavior of low-toughness ERW seams.

After 23 years at Battelle, he founded Kiefner & Associates, Inc. (KAI) in January 1990, a firm dedicated to serving the oil and gas pipeline industry. While he was with KAI, his further achievements on behalf of the pipeline industry include:

• Raising pipeline failure investigation to new levels of quality in the industry
• Contributing to the continued improvement of ASME codes and standards
• Developing one of the first comprehensive algorithmic approaches to relative risk assessment of pipelines
• Writing the first comprehensive pipeline repair manual
• Testing the effects of mechanical damage on oil and gas pipelines and the effectiveness of damage repair techniques
• Developing a process for evaluating the susceptibility of pipe seams to fatigue due to pressure cycles.

The company Dr. Kiefner created, KAI, has since grown to 18 employees and looks forward to providing specialized, personal technical service to the pipeline industry.  Dr. Kiefner will continue to participate in company activities and assist clients on a greatly reduced schedule while he pursues other personal interests.

December  2006: KAI hires Mr. Nick Ashcraft

Kiefner & Associates, Inc. is pleased to announce that Mr. Nick Ashcraft has joined the staff as Senior Pipeline Specialist. Nick, formerly with Enterprise Products and Vectren Energy Delivery, has 10 years of experience in the pipeline industry and an additional 6 years of experience in materials testing and inspection across various industries. He has experience with natural gas transmission, distribution, and hazardous liquids operations and has been extensively involved with Integrity Management Program planning, development, and implementation for the past 5 years. His expertise includes Integrity Management plan and process development, field assessment, direct examination, and reassessment interval determination, Welding Procedure Qualification, Welder Qualification, Welding Inspection and Training, Welding Manual development, Operations and Maintenance procedure development, and Code Compliance. Nick is currently a member of the Gas Piping Technology Committee (GPTC), the Gas Pipeline Safety Research Committee (GPSRC), and a former steering committee member of the AGA/SGA Gas Transmission Best Practices Committee.