Corrosion is one of the leading threats causing pipeline failures. Across global incident datasets, it consistently ranks among the primary drivers of integrity incidents, alongside third-party damage and external interference.
Considering that many pipeline operators have implemented integrity management programs (IMP), this might be an unexpectedly high number. At the same time, it highlights the inherent complexity of effectively managing corrosion throughout the pipeline lifecycle.
of global pipeline failures are attributed to corrosion (internal & external)
of failures are caused by third‑party damage & external interference
of incidents are linked to corrosion and external damage
even with widespread control measures
*Indicative ranges based on aggregated global pipeline incident datasets (2013–2022). Actual distributions vary by region, pipeline type, and operating conditions.
Effective corrosion management requires a holistic approach. It encompasses regular pipeline cleaning to remove corrosive debris or liquids, pipeline in-line inspections to accurately detect, identify, and size corrosion anomalies both internal and external, post-ILI assessments to calculate corrosion growth rates and predict corrosion behavior, as well as understanding of corrosion mechanisms to apply the right mitigation measures such as corrosion inhibitors, cathodic protection, or other targeted actions.
ROSEN supports operators with corrosion management approaches tailored to upstream, gathering, transmission, and distribution pipelines, integrating inspection, assessment, verification, and engineering expertise within a structured integrity framework to enable safe, compliant, and technically defensible pipeline operations.
Managing corrosion risk across the pipeline lifecycle
As corrosion comes in all shapes and sizes, each pipeline and corrosion characteristic is unique. Whether it’s internal corrosion, external corrosion, microbiologically induced corrosion (MIC), pinhole corrosion, axial oriented corrosion, complex corrosion, just to name a few, ROSEN offers a solution for every threat.
We achieve industry-leading performance by leveraging the experience from more than 2 million inspected pipeline kilometers across the globe over the past 45 years, the knowledge from more than 300 integrity engineers, the ever-evolving technology advancements, the utilization of AI and machine learning models for data analysis, and the world’s largest pipeline anomaly data base to enable pipeline operators making better decisions to maintain the safety and integrity of their assets.
The starting point for corrosion management is the identification of potential corrosion threats for the asset in question.
Working closely with your teams, our experts review available information such as pipeline design and operational conditions, medium, pipeline age and manufacturer, previous in-line inspection results (if existing), failure history, etc.) to identify potential or existing corrosion threats.
Corrosion threat analysis supports:
- Identification of relevant corrosion mechanisms and damage types
- Understanding of inspection applicability and limitations
- Selection of appropriate inspection and assessment approaches
This step ensures that inspection data and subsequent assessments are aligned with the actual corrosion risks present in the system.
In‑line inspection provides key information on pipeline condition and metal loss associated with corrosion. Inspection data forms the basis for corrosion assessment and longer‑term integrity planning. Our in-line inspection solutions include:
- Liquid‑coupled ultrasonic inspection (UT)
- Magnetic flux leakage inspection (MFL)
- Internal eddy current technologies (IEC)
When correctly selected and applied, these leading-edge technologies support reliable corrosion detection, anomaly sizing, and reporting suitable for integrity assessments and reassessment planning.
Accurate corrosion assessment increasingly depends on improving the precision of metal loss sizing and reducing uncertainty between inspection runs. Complex corrosion specifically presents a major challenge to pipeline operators and ILI service providers as conventional in-line inspection technologies struggle to characterize and size it precisely.
To tackle this challenge, pipeline operators can run different independent ILI technologies in the same line (e.g. MFL-A and MFL-C) to gain a better understanding of complex corrosion as each individual technology alone has shortcomings.
However, analyzing data from different technologies independently leaves room for interpretation and the need to choose the most likely metal loss prediction for a single anomaly from either of each technology.
ROSEN’s MFL Data Fusion overcomes this issue by combining raw MFL‑A and MFL‑C signals using AI‑based analysis, including convolutional neural networks, to generate high‑resolution three‑dimensional corrosion profiles. By fusing axial and circumferential magnetic responses at signal level, the method improves sizing accuracy and consistency compared to conventional box‑based interpretations.
This increased accuracy and precision provides more reliable input for burst pressure calculations, remaining life estimation, and corrosion growth assessment, supporting integrity decisions where reduced conservatism and higher confidence are required.
Inspection results describe current conditions. Integrity assessment translates this information into an understanding of severity, remaining strength, and future integrity risk.
By evaluating corrosion characteristics, growth behavior, and uncertainty, corrosion assessments support:
- Fitness‑for‑service evaluations
- Remaining life estimation
- Inspection and reassessment interval planning
Our corrosion assessment activities are aligned with applicable codes and standards and consider the specific operational challenges of upstream, gathering, transmission, and distribution pipelines.
Corrosion‑related integrity decisions often require engineering judgement beyond standard inspection reporting or code‑based assessment. This is particularly the case where operating history is incomplete, corrosion mechanisms interact, or assessment assumptions must be justified internally or to regulators.
Our corrosion consultancy services support operators in addressing these situations, including corrosion threat evaluation, assessment strategy development, interpretation of complex inspection findings, and support during reassessment or integrity reviews.
Field verification is often required to confirm inspection and assessment results, particularly where corrosion morphology, sizing tolerance, or feature classification influences repair or reassessment decisions.
Targeted excavations and in field measurements provide direct feedback on corrosion depth, extent, and surface characteristics. This information is used to validate inspection data, refine assessment assumptions, and reduce uncertainty prior to mitigation or integrity decisions.
We invite you to our webinar "MFL Data Fusion: The Next Level of Precision and Accuracy in Pipeline Integrity"
Corrosion Competency and Trainings
Corrosion management relies on consistent interpretation of inspection data, assessment methodologies, and code requirements. Training supports alignment across integrity teams and stakeholders.
Check out our free available courses and glossary:
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Corrosion challenges are rarely uniform. Discussion with an experienced corrosion specialist can help clarify inspection strategy, assessment assumptions, or integrity planning considerations relevant to your pipeline system.