Several potential failures were avoided, preventing emergency repairs and production losses.

Background

For around five years, pipe inspections at a central NSW CHPP were carried out using a selective approach on a 12 monthly schedule. This focused on known problem areas, high-wear lines, and pipes identified through operational checks.

While this method helped manage immediate issues to these areas, it only covered part of the plant and left many pipes unchecked.

Recently, with extra time available on site, additional pipes outside the usual inspection list were scanned. This highlighted the limitations of selective inspections and clearly showed the value of a full pipe scanning service.

What Changed With Full Pipe Scanning

The extra inspections included pipes that:

• Had little to no previous failure history
• Showed no external wear or corrosion
• Were not considered high wearing.

Despite this, scanning identified severe internal wear to multiple basalt-lined pipes, including several close to failure. In two cases the basalt internal linings had worn through, leaving the pipes parent metal exposed. These defects would not have been found through visual inspection alone and had never been checked previously.

This showed that serious damage can exist in areas assumed to be low wearing.

Pipe Scanning Outcomes

The expanded scanning allowed the site to:

• Identify severely worn pipes before failure
• Plan repairs instead of reacting to breakdowns
• Update shutdown scopes using real condition data
• Reduce safety risks and housekeeping from unexpected pipe failures
• Minimise the chance of unplanned downtime.

Three alumina lined elbows were manufactured and Air-freighted for delivery in less than 5 weeks, adding more longevity to these lines.

Several potential failures were avoided, preventing emergency repairs and production losses.

Key Learnings

Selective inspections rely heavily on past failures and visual signs. While useful, they only provide a partial picture and can miss developing issues elsewhere in the plant.

Full pipe scanning provides:

• Clear visibility of pipe condition across the CHPP
• Early detection of hidden internal wear and liner breakdown
• Better maintenance planning
• Reduced unplanned outages
• Improved safety and plant availability
• It replaces assumptions with real data.

Benefits of Full Pipe Scanning for CHPPs

After years of selective inspections, expanding the scope revealed critical damage in basalt-lined pipes previously considered low risk. This demonstrated that selective inspections alone leave the plant exposed to unexpected failures.

A full pipe scanning program supports proactive maintenance, safer operations, and improved plant availability by ensuring all pipelines are assessed, not just those with known issues.