ABSTRACT
Corrosion is the main contributing factor to pipeline failures and leaks. To address this issue, this chapter has been developed as an industry best management practice to improve the mechanical integrity of pipelines. It intends to assist oil and natural gas producers in identifying the conditions that contribute to external and internal pipeline corrosion and identifying measures to reduce the likelihood of corrosion incidents.
In detail, this chapter addresses the design, maintenance, and operating considerations for mitigating external and internal corrosion on buried pipelines constructed with carbon steel materials. Failures due to environmental cracking such as stress corrosion cracking and hydrogen-induced cracking are addressed in this chapter. Many of the preventative measures described in this chapter will also mitigate vapor phase corrosion, pitting corrosion, bacteria corrosion, and so on.
This chapter supplements NACE SP0169; CSA Z662 (oil and gas pipeline systems); the governing standard for pipeline systems in a project country; and other regulations, codes, and standards. It is envisioned as a guide for both upstream and downstream operators to address corrosion as part of their focus on performance improvement through companies’ pipeline integrity management programs. In the case of any discrepancies between the guidance provided in this chapter and other regulatory requirements, the latter should be adhered to.
This chapter is intended for use by corrosion specialists/experts involved in the development and implementation of corrosion mitigation programs; engineering teams involved in the design of gathering, transmission, and distribution systems; and operations personnel involved in the execution of corrosion mitigation programs and the operation of pipelines. Though it contains a consolidation of key industry experience and knowledge used to reduce corrosion, it is not intended to be a comprehensive overview of all practices.
