NACE Determined To Take Fight To Pipeline Corrosion

Far too often these days we’re hearing about oil and gas pipelines giving way to the forces of corrosion. This is an issue that is drawing even more attention because of the combination of an aging infrastructure network, encroachment into urbanized areas and inadequate protection of some sort – be it coatings, cathodic protection, faulty welding, etc. that leads in faulty maintenance.

Add to this the supercharged 24-hour news cycle that we all live with and few incidents are deemed of insufficient interest to cover. The Sept. 9 San Bruno, CA PG&E pipeline disaster – although at this time no specific cause has been cited – is a prime example.

Corrosion is obviously the bread and butter of NACE International and its 23,000 worldwide members. Following the Houston-based association’s annual conference in San Antonio, TX earlier this year, Christopher M. Fowler, Ph.D., corrosion director of UK-based Exova, became NACE International’s new president. A materials expert, Fowler received his B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology in 1974 and 1975, respectively; in 1980 he received his doctorate.

Fowler discussed the issue of corrosion at length with P&GJ, a topic that is even more relevant today because let us make no mistake about it: an aging asset infrastructure is the biggest problem facing the pipeline industry.

P&GJ: What is the impact of corrosion to the U.S., considering that many pipelines were built over 50 and 60 years ago?
Fowler: Corrosion is a slow and insidious killer of our nation’s critical infrastructure. Impacts many parts of our lives including ships, railroads, railcars, automobiles, aboveground and underground storage tanks, bridges, airports, airplanes, energy generation and distribution systems, water systems, refineries, offshore oil and gas production, and oil and gas pipelines. It is estimated that corrosion costs the U.S. over $276 billion annually and has over a $3 trillion impact globally.

As these key systems continue to age and are expected to be useful way past their design life (normally 25–30 years), corrosion prevention and mitigation has to be considered. NACE International recommends that corrosion be part of the discussion in the design phase of new structures; however, we know that the majority of the issues that we have to deal with now have been in service for over 25 years. Corrosion is the number one limiting factor in each of these assets.

P&GJ: Why is corrosion (internal and external combined) still the second-leading cause for pipeline failures in the U.S.? Should the Michigan oil spill attributed to a corroded pipe be a wakeup call to the industry?
Fowler: The pipeline industry in recent years has begun to become more proactive regarding corrosion, but there is still much to be done. One of the key challenges is a slow and invisible issue. It is a slow process and it is not a visible priority. Many times corrosion is seen as a maintenance issue. With this mind set, cutting corrosion expenditures is easy to do if you do not appreciate the long-term impact. Corrosion needs to be part of the discussion focusing on asset preservation and pipeline integrity. It is an integral part of the discussion.