CASE HISTORY Detecting Pipeline Stress Corrosion Cracking Through Direct Assessment

External corrosion direct assessment (ECDA) is a structured process intended for use by pipeline operators to assess, manage, and reduce the impact of external corrosion on pipelines through delineating the high consequence areas (HCAs) on buried metallic structures. An HCA is defined as an area where a leak will cause a significant impact, such as areas of high population density, commercially navigable waterways, and environmentally sensitive areas. This article describes ECDA and how the process was used to detect stress corrosion cracking in a buried natural gas transmission pipeline in Pakistan.