Combating Corrosion in America’s Aging Pipeline Infrastructure

With the consequences of pipeline corrosion costing as much as $8.6 billion each year in the U.S. alone, it makes economic sense to implement the most effective preventive measures possible. As America’s pipeline infrastructure ages toward an uncertain future, better protecting pipelines from the onset should be a high priority for any company that relies on this critical area of infrastructure. Doing so will save money, property, and potentially even lives down the road.

When Pipelines Fail

Pipelines aren’t inherently risky. They’re generally considered a more efficient and much safer way to transport fuel and other liquids when compared with freight trains or trucks — up to 70 times safer, in fact, in terms of lives lost.

Nonetheless, when a pipe does fail, such as when anti-corrosion coatings and cathodic protection no longer hold up to the intense natural forces that corrode metals, the consequences can be significant and long-lasting. The most serious of these incidents can hurt or kill many people, damage the environment, and garner widespread media attention that no company wants — not to mention the subsequent public backlash and potential government investigations and fines.

The risks to our pipeline infrastructure increase with each passing day. While incidences of internal corrosion remained consistent through the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, the new millennium has brought a noticeable increase. Since 2010, the average number of incidents has doubled from the previous decade. There are many reasons to be concerned about this.

Essential — and Aging — Architecture

Every year, pipes that are not replaced get older. According to the federal government, more than half of America’s pipelines are at least 50 years old.

Many of these pipes were not intended to last for half a century. Generally speaking, pipeline failures can be charted along what’s called the “bathtub curve.” Failures are most common in the first few years of a pipeline’s life due to shoddy installation, welding errors, or equipment failure. The likelihood of a serious incident then decreases before sharply rising once the pipe is in service for 40+ years.

Corrosion is responsible for between 15 and 20 percent of all “significant” pipeline incidents that result in death, injury, and/or extensive property damage, according to an investigation by ProPublica. There have been 1,400 such incidents since 1986. In another study conducted in 2016 by the PHMSA, one in 11 of all hazardous liquid incidents are due to corrosion, with corrosions also responsible for one in eight gas transmission incidents and half of all gas-gathering incidents.

There’s no strategy that will undo the damage done, and there is no way to fully eliminate the potential risk of pipeline failure. However, there are many strategies that can be adopted as new pipelines are laid that will minimize risk in the coming decades.

Fighting Corrosion

Of the many forms of corrosion, two of the most common can be neutralized with proper preventive techniques. Uniform pipe corrosion causes a uniform loss of the material along the pipeline’s surface, perpetuating a continual thinning of its structure. Meanwhile, pitting corrosion is a severe and highly localized form of corrosion that leads to cavities or pits that might eventually rupture the pipe. Both of these forms of corrosion can be prevented with proper coatings and selecting suitable piping materials.

Many different types of coatings, including coal tar enamel, polyolefin, fusion-bonded epoxies, tape systems, and metallic sprays, can help protect pipeline with varying degrees of effectiveness. However, many coatings require substantial equipment downtime, contain hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) or volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that can threaten the environment and employee health, or both.

Recently, novel approaches to corrosion resistance have been developed, including the dual-layer spray-applied coating EonCoat, which are environmentally friendly and innovative in their method of action. Unlike traditional anti-corrosion coatings that rest atop the asset, EonCoat bonds to the steel to create a magnesium iron phosphate alloy layer. Meanwhile, the chemically bonded phosphate ceramic adds a second line of defense, and will leach phosphate when necessary to re-alloy the steel. For this reason, EonCoat is far longer-lasting and does not need to be re-applied.

Embracing this technology could minimize the future risk of the very same problems facing our above-ground pipeline infrastructure today.

Regulations, Restrictions, and Results

Upon the discovery of internal corrosion, regardless of how it will affect pipeline integrity, its cause should be investigated. U.S. pipeline regulations have specific protocols set in place, although in recent years, regulation has not been as stringent as some officials would prefer.

The Government Accountability Office estimates that of the 230,000 miles of gathering pipelines – those that connect wells to facilities or larger lines – only 24,000 miles are regulated by the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). Perhaps more troubling is the fact that the PHMSA has perpetually been short on funding and understaffed.

A New York Times investigation found that the lack of hiring due to insufficient funding has led to more pipeline operators having to shoulder the burden of inspecting and preventing the more than 100 significant spills that occur each year. With less oversight and more pipelines on the way, preventing damaging corrosion that leads to spills and fatalities is of utmost importance.

The global cost of corrosion was recently estimated at U.S. $2.5 trillion, with 15% to 35% of potential savings against this cost available by using effective corrosion-control practices. These eye-popping statistics do not begin to cover the other, indirect costs of corrosion, such as lost productivity and increased costs of goods and services. It’s a difficult problem to overstate.

Does your organization have a forward-looking corrosion prevention plan in place?