External corrosion is a major threat to the integrity of gas transmission systems. This paper reviews corrosion and environmental cracking problems and their control based on more than twelve years of field and laboratory research work performed by a major Canadian gas transmission company.

To protect against corrosion the company uses a dual system consisting of protective coatings and cathodic protection. Either of these systems operating properly can provide the protection necessary to prevent leaks and ruptures in line pipe. In some situations however coatings can fail in such a way as to shield a corrosion cell on the pipe surface under degraded coating from cathodic protection.

Where the protective systems are thwarted, a variety of corrosion and cracking scenarios can lead to leaks and ruptures. These scenarios will be identified and assessed in terms of where they occur as well as their frequency and seriousness.

Subject
Gas transmission, Pipe surfaces, Crack growth, Water, Piping, Cathodic protection, Corrosion rate, Tape, Iron sulfides, Pipelines, Steel, Carbonate stress corrosion cracking, Stress corrosion cracking
Keywords:
external corrosion, line pipe, coating failure, cathodic protection, microbially influenced corrosion, stress corrosion cracking
© 1995 Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP). All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of AMPP. Positions and opinions advanced in this work are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of AMPP. Responsibility for the content of the work lies solely with the author(s).
1995
Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP)
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