Internal Corrosion of Unpiggable Liquid Facility Piping Available to Purchase

Historically, pipeline operators have not had the same focused integrity programs for facility piping when compared to those established for mainline systems. This is in part due to the way facilities (stations and terminals) are configured – various diameter pipes, elbows and fittings restrict the use of ILI inspection and minimise the use of other types of tools. Management of facility piping should consider all pipes; however, the focus of this paper is the identification and remediation of internal corrosion of dead legs, either idle or low flow pipes, at station and terminal facilities transporting various types of crude oil products. The severity of internal corrosion found on these segments can range from severe to relatively corrosion free. Inspecting these segments with inspection tools not only confirms pipe condition but also the operator’s rationale for segment selection, inspection method(s) being implemented, mitigation and monitoring programs. There are various causes of internal corrosion but most often, through pipe failure analysis, the operator is able to determine the exact cause of corrosion. This paper examines how a facility piping program can identify segments prone to internal corrosion and establish effective monitoring and mitigations.