A proposed method for Liquid Petroleum Pipeline Internal Corrosion Direct Assessment (LP-ICDA) has
been developed that is consistent with the general principles of other Direct Assessment (DA) methods.
The scope of LP-ICDA complements those of dry gas ICDA (DG-ICDA) and wet gas ICDA (WGICDA).
LP-ICDA (as with other DA methods) is intended to serve as an integrity verification tool, playing the
same role within pipeline integrity management as in-line inspection (ILI) and hydrotesting (either as a
replacement or as a complement). The method relies on 1) identifying a mechanism for corrosion
susceptibility, 2) detecting a property associated with this mechanism through an indirect measurement,
3) performing a direct observation of the pipe (e.g., by excavation), and 4) correcting for any
discrepancies between the predictions and observations.
The underlying basis of the proposed approach is simple; corrosion in liquid petroleum pipelines is most
likely where water and/or solids accumulate. Secondary factors affecting the distribution of corrosion
between locations of water and solids accumulation are also considered.