METHODOLOGY TO

PAKISTAN STATE OIL COMPANY LTD

FOR CARRYING OUT PIPELINE EXTERNAL
CORROSION DIRECT ASSESSMENT

PSO TENDER NO.: OP-17607KF

NPSL QUOTATION NO.: PSO:07/125/2023

NURICON PETROSERVICES (PTE.) LTD.

CORPORATE OFFICE: 4th Floor, Mubarak Manzil, 39 Garden Road, Karachi, Pakistan
Phone No.(21) 3273 5051 (4 Lines) Fax : (21) 3273 4162
Email : karachi@nuricon.com, ameen.hussain@nuricon.com

ISLAMABAD OFFICE: Plot No. 39, Street No. 1, I-10/3, Islamabad-44000, Pakistan
Phone No.(51) 410 2001 (4 Lines) Fax : (51) 444 3749
Email : islamabad@nuricon.com, khalid.khan@nuricon.com
INTRODUCTION
Nuricon Petroservices (Pte.) Ltd. (Nuricon), the most experienced Corrosion
Engineering and Pipeline Integrity Services Company in Pakistan is pleased to
provide Pakistan State Oil Company Ltd (PSO) with our proposal to provide Pipeline
Integrity Direct Assessment and CP System Audit. By virtue of our experience and
resources, Nuricon is confident that they can provide a competitive and quality
solution to PSO

In terms of scope of work, all the assessments including pre, indirect, direct and post,
surveys and reporting shall be done by the Nuricon.

In order to provide a high standard and quality of works , Nuricon shall ensure that
the personnel involved for the execution of the project are ably qualified which shall
include Maqsood Temuri as the Project Manager ably supported by Javed Waheed
and Asif Siddiqui all of whom have I-Corr certification as per tender requirement . The
Nuricon team under the supervision of Maqsood Temuri shall utilize a delegated
approach to ensure that Nuricon accomplish and complete the project to the
complete satisfaction of PSO.

We will also like to highlight several similar projects for ECDA have been executed
and successfully completed by the Nuricon for PSO in 2010 under contract No
411009707 and in 2021 under contract No 4110029368 . Hence, Nuricon is ideally
suited to carry out this project for PSO. Besides this Nuricon has conducted ECDA
for Sui Northern Gas Company Ltd, Oil & Gas Development Company Ltd, United
Energy Pakistan, OMV Pakistan, Central Power Generation Company Ltd ( WAPDA)
etc.

1. Methodology:
The basic methodology for carrying out Pipeline External Corrosion Direct
Assessment (ECDA) is described in the ANSI/NACE Standard SP 0502/2002.
However, there are some details which are more fully described in this
document.

The ECDA process typically follows four separate activities, namely pre-
assessment, indirect inspection, direct examination and post assessment.
Nuricon will add a final step which is the selection of appropriate rehabilitation
and refurbishment methodologies, which is typically the information a pipeline
owner would require to bring the pipeline in question up to an acceptable
integrity level in order to reduce and manage the risk of operation of that
particular pipeline.
2. Pre-assessment:
The Pre-Assessment process shall collect and integrate all relevant available
history of the pipelines in question. This process is necessary to firstly
determine whether ECDA is feasible, secondly to define ECDA regions and
thirdly to select the appropriate tools and techniques that will be used for direct
assessment.

The Pre-Assessment phase is critical to the whole ECDA process and

requires that the pipeline owner makes all information available. As such, it is
a comprehensive review of all the information.

The following categories of information will be required from PSO:

a) Pipe material information

b) Pipeline construction information
c) Pipeline route information, including soil and environmental information
d) Operational information

The information required for this process will be obtained from the following
sources:

 Construction information.
 Material supply data sheets.
 As-built drawings, maps and hand over documentation.
 Cathodic protection design, as-built and hand over documentation.
 Cathodic protection operational information, including monthly and
yearly monitoring results and any modifications and upgrades made to
the CP system.
 Overline survey information, including DCVG, CIPS, PCM, GPS and
soil resistivity surveys conducted previously.
 Leak history information.
 Repair history information (coating and metallurgical defects/corrosion).
 Operational history, including temperature, pressure etc.
 Records of any modifications made to the pipeline.
 Standard operating procedures.
 Records of information gathered during digs and excavations to
undertake inspection or repairs.
  Hydrotest or tightness-test data.
 Records relating to any cleaning pigging undertaken previously.

2.1. ECDA feasibility assessment.

Once all the historical information would have been reviewed, it will be possible to
determine whether ECDA is feasible. For pipelines located in open fields, away
from built-up areas ECDA is always possible. However, should there be areas
where the pipeline ROW is covered by large areas of concrete or bitumen, water
bodies, crops, etc or there are other pipelines very close in the same right-of-way,
then it may be difficult to apply ECDA.

2.2. Selection of indirect inspection tools.

This part of the process shall identify which techniques will be used to undertake
the ECDA. There are a number of techniques that could be used, which in
combination could yield the required information required.

Different combinations of tools may be required for different portions of the same
pipeline, or for different pipelines, depending on the site and ROW conditions. It is
important to realize that it is therefore possible to use different combinations of
techniques along the same pipeline.

Table 2 in the NACE SP0502 standard provides guidance on technique selection.

2.2.1. Indirect inspection.

As part of the indirect inspection, Nuricon shall undertake a detailed audit of
the CP system. This is considered a vital input into the ECDA process since
the CP governs the type of data that can be obtained with the close interval
potential survey technique, and determines whether a DCVG survey can be
carried out with the existing system, or whether a temporary CP system has to
be installed.

The tests involved in the CP Audit would be as follows:

a. On and instant off potentials at the test points and any critical locations
such as cased crossings etc., wherever possible.
b. Identifications of shorted casings or pipelines.
c. Identifying shorted isolation joints.
d. Inspection of test posts, current measuring posts, etc and identifying
the abnormalities and recommend the corrective measures.
e. Note any useful features along the pipeline ROW.
 f. Check Transformer Rectifier (TR) or any other Power Source outputs
and their conditions.
g. Take circuit resistances by gradually increasing TR outputs from zero
up to a maximum and determining average circuit resistance by
graphical method.
h. Check for Sacrificial CP System if any.
i. Note resistance/output of individual anode, if such provision is available
in the system (i.e., if leads from individual anodes are above ground in
the junction box). Clamp on meter or shunts would be used for the
measurements.
j. Pipeline (cathode) resistance would be estimated from the groundbed
resistance measurements.
k. Subsequent to the Indirect Inspections the locations that are identified
as Priority-1 and are near to the source of stray current would be
assessed for the possible stray current interference.

In addition, the CP systems effectiveness will determine whether external

corrosion can occur, including all the forms of corrosion typically encountered
such as stray current corrosion, microbiological corrosion of even SCC.

Nuricon has experience and equipment to undertake all types of overline

surveys, using both AC and DC techniques. The techniques typically used by
us are listed below:

 Visual inspection of all above ground pipeline including valves and

fittings. Visual inspections shall be followed by spot wall thickness using
a conventional UT probe. This spot thickness measurement shall be
done at 12, 3, 6, 9 o’ clock position depending on the accessibility of
these positions along every 10 meters. Similarly MPI shall be done on
25% Nos of the pipe to pipe weld joints for pipeline above ground.
 DCVG (survey methods change depending on whether stray DC currents
are present). Additionally when DCVG shall be applied, ACVG and C-
Scan Survey become irrelevant. ( for underground pipeline).
 Close interval potential survey (CIPS) if required ( for underground
pipeline ).
 PCM if required ( for underground pipeline).
 Stray current surveys.
 Pipe location.
 Features detected during overline surveys would be located in two ways.
Initially a wooden peg will be placed over the feature and the distance to a
known reference point will be measured using a surveyor’s wheel. Additionally
GPS coordinate of the location will be logged.

NACE ECDA standard stipulates only 2 overline surveys but in some cases,
more than two overline techniques may need to be used.

The most vulnerable area, where the protection potential needs to be

measured, is at the epicenter of a coating defect on a pipeline. For this
reason, Nuricon shall first undertake the surveys by initiating with a DCVG
survey to identify all the coating defects along the pipeline. The CIPS survey
shall then be carried out after the DCVG survey because the surveyor would
now ensure that the probes are placed directly over the defects. (many CIPS
surveys are carried incorrectly with the actual surveyor being off the pipeline
and this results in poor data. The Nuricon methodology shall avoid these
problems).

3. Direct assessment:
Bell hole excavations shall be carried out to allow physical examination of the
pipeline by Nuricon personnel.

The results from the overline surveys will be analysed by Nuricon personnel
and the defects shall be ranked. Nuricon typically would require that a number
of defects are exposed, across the range i.e. minor, moderate and severe.

The direct assessment is an important step in the overall ECDA process. It

shall consist of the following activities:

 Prioritization of available data to determine excavation sites.

 Excavation – carefully controlled and supervised so as to avoid damage
to the pipeline. Nuricon will have an excavation scope of work to ensure
that no damage occurs.
 Photographing of excavation sequence so that there is a record.
 Detailed photographs of the defect area.
 Measurement of depth of cover.
 Pipe to soil potential at coating defect.
 Measurement of the size of the coating defect.
 Physical characteristics of the coating: type, condition, thickness,
adhesion.
  Recording whether alkali solutions are present, and measurement of
pH.
 Cleaning of corrosion product to expose steel substrate.
 Appropriate NDT at defect site, if there is corrosion present. This may
require the use techniques, such as conventional UT but will only be
used at selected sites.
 Collection of water in the trench (if any) for analysis.

Once all the data has been analysed, an action plan will be developed with
interventions split into three categories as follows:

 Immediate action required.

 Action required in medium term, as part of maintenance.
 No action required.

In addition, recommendations will be made with regards to improving the

maintenance of the pipeline so as to avoid similar problems in the future. So,
in addition, to identifying the symptoms of the problem, such as coating
defects, external metal loss, etc.

4. Post assessment:
This step shall evaluate the effectiveness of the ECDA process and determine
inspection intervals. Nuricon shall study all the data including coordinating the
finding with the field reports followed by a report.

5. Refurbishment and rehabilitation advice:

Nuricon shall provide information on what options are available to the operator
in order to upgrade the pipeline. However our proposal does not include any
rehabilitation work but does include the restoration of coating inspected by
Nuricon during direct inspection.

6. Security , Boarding, Lodging and Travelling:

Nuricon shall arrange to provide all accommodation and food for our
personnel during their visit to the various sites. However PSO shall be
responsible to provide security for our personnel in security sensitive areas.
7. Technical Clarification:
In the tender documents following discrepancies or comments are noted

a. ECDA stipulates 2 types of survey minimum and in this context, we

intend to utilize DCVG and PCM or CIPS.
b. All above ground pipelines shall be visually inspected as per our
proposal which shall only MPI for 25% of pipe to pipe weld joints if
required and UT reading at 10 m interval for above ground pipeline .
c. We will limit the number of excavation as below as per requirement of
PSO as per tender requirement. Each bell hole will consist of approx.
1.5 m wide x 1.5 m long cross area section and Nuricon will be
responsible for backfilling also
d. Our proposal does not comprise of any repair works in case the
pipeline is degraded to the extent of pipeline leakage or metal loss.
e. All the data will be analyzed and the effectiveness of the ECDA process
will be evaluated in the Post Assessment Process. In addition, the
inspection interval will be determines during this phase but we will not
conduct any extra survey during post assessment.
f. It would be expected the PSO shall arrange for right of way clearance
in order for Nuricon to conduct the surveys and in case there are any
pipelines running through any populated areas, houses, roads , railway
lines, standing water bodies etc, it will not be possible to survey those
portions of the pipelines.
g. Nuricon shall utilize submeter accuracy GPS for preparation and
submission of pipeline route . However the drawing submitted by
Nuricon shall not be topographic and will not have pipeline alignment
sheets.
h. Our report shall include estimation of remaining pipeline life which shall
be done in house by Nuricon team in line with API 570. Our inhouse
team is conversant with the standard.
i. Excavation of any pavement/hardstanding/road/canal will not be
recommended and possible even if it comes in the route of the pipeline.
However cutting of wild growth /bushes shall be done by Nuricon
incase needed for excavation..
j. Nuricon shall mobilize within 2-3 working weeks after contract signing
and submission of Performance Guarantee. The project survey work
shall be completed within 3-4 working weeks after and report will be
submitted within 8 weeks after completion of Survey/work.
k. Performance Guarantee shall be returned immediately on completion of
the project.
 l. Since our proposal is a Service contract, there are SST applicable to
our proposal which is included.

8. Project Team:
The team being offered by Nuricon is as following. However not all of the
personnel shall be utilized for the project but will comprise of the below team:

 Maqsood Temuri – Project Manager

 Javed Waheed
 Asif Siddiqui
 Muhammad Shaan
 Burhan Ullah Khan
 Jawwad Hussain
 S.M Zaki
 Muhammad Adnan
 Mazhar Naeem
 Arif Mallick
 Mohd Ajmal
 Kashif Sarwar
 Tariq Jamil
 Khursheed

All the above personnel are full time employees of Nuricon Petroservices as
per tender requirement.

It may be noted that Mr. Maqsood Temuri and Mr. Asif Siddiqui are AMP
(NACE) Corrosion Specialist) alongwith FICorr. However, Mr. Javed Waheed
is M-Icorr and AMP (NACE) Senior Corrosion Technologiest.

Additionally kindly be advised we may intend to utilize the services of Premier

Tubular Inspection Services or TUV Austria or Joint Technology Pakistan Ltd
or any relevant company with proper qualification for Inspection and UT
services.