Pipeline operators frequently lack reliable material toughness data for vintage assets, a critical gap for integrity management, MAOP reconfirmation, and evaluating assets for hydrogen service. To address this, a novel nondestructive evaluation (NDE) technology has been developed and successfully deployed to measure toughness and tensile properties directly on in-service pipelines, eliminating costly and disruptive cut-outs.

The technology utilizes a planing-induced microfracture technique combined with frictional sliding. This process determines both tensile properties (yield and ultimate tensile strength) and fracture resistance (e.g., Charpy V-Notch or CTOD equivalent) for both the pipe body and seam weld.

This paper provides an update on the technology’s comprehensive accuracy validation program, confirming its performance against destructive laboratory tests. Furthermore, it details the standardized field procedures and engineering specifications released to ensure consistent and reliable results during field deployment. The validation program, conducted through a Joint Industry Program (JIP) with rigorous blind testing, statistically confirmed the technology's accuracy across a wide range of vintage pipeline steels and established a conservative basis for field application.

We will present a case study from recent pilot projects where this technology was deployed on live natural gas pipelines. The presentation will detail the workflow for generating traceable, verifiable, and complete (TVC) material records from the collected data. This data is currently being used to support engineering critical assessments and to evaluate the suitability of existing infrastructure for hydrogen conversion. The session will also cover how operators can use these datasets as the basis for statistical analysis to confidently infer the toughness distribution of an entire asset population from a tested subset, enabling more accurate and less conservative integrity management. This approach directly supports compliance with modern safety regulations while enhancing proactive asset management.