The sensor will rather help to classify the corrosivity of the environment to which the pipe is exposed.

It is not possible to make an accurate (within a few percent) estimation of corrosion rate on a specific location on the pipe (e.g., 0.1 m long segment) based on the output of such sensor. The purpose of corrosivity sensor is to evaluate the large scale corrosion activity due to exposure in the outdoor atmosphere. We envision that these sensors could be deployed at the intervals of 10–20 m along the pipe to provide sufficiently high spatial resolution for a typical gathering pipeline that is about 2–4 km long. We are particularly concerned with the smaller 4–8 inch diameter flow lines that are not inspected regularly, but for which it is necessary to obtain some idea about the range of possible corrosion rates as a function of location along the pipe. This sensing solution will facilitate development of so-called “corrosion maps” that indicate locations along the pipeline that are prone to corrosion. The main objective of this research project is to create a sensing solution for monitoring corrosivity of the environment in the vicinity of existing exposed pipelines that could be accepted for use by the oil and gas industry. The 8th European Gas Pipeline Incident Data Group (EGIDG) report has revealed that 16.1% of gas pipeline incidents in the period from 2007 to 2010 were caused by corrosion problems. Supporting statistics are also available for Europe. According to the statistics reported by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), about 9.4% of pipeline damage incidents between the years 19 were caused by external corrosion. The potential consequences of pipeline corrosion failures can be catastrophic and should not be underestimated. Among other factors, external corrosion is identified as one of the major causes of pipeline failures.

Leaking pipelines can cause environmental pollution and loss of valuable resources. This significantly affects the lifespan of the equipment. Unfortunately, low carbon steel turns out to be very susceptible to corrosive environments, especially oxygenated waters. Most pipes used to transfer hydrocarbons in the fields are made of low carbon steel because it is inexpensive and has suitable mechanical properties. Integrity of pipelines is a serious concern in the oil and gas industry due to potentially catastrophic consequences of pipeline failures.

14 segment display multisim 14.0