[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 227 (Monday, November 24, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71089-71090]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-27869]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

[Docket ID PHMSA-2008-0300]


Pipeline Safety: Proper Identification of Internal Corrosion Risk

AGENCY: Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), 
DOT.

ACTION: Notice; Issuance of Advisory Bulletin.

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SUMMARY: This advisory bulletin reminds operators of their 
responsibilities under 49 CFR 195.579(a) and 49 CFR 195.589(c) with 
respect to the identification of circumstances under which the 
potential for internal corrosion must be investigated.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alan Mayberry by phone at (202) 366-
5124.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    The Pipeline, Inspection, Protection, Enforcement, and Safety Act 
of 2006, Public Law 109-468, Section 22, required PHMSA to review the 
internal corrosion control regulations to determine if the regulations 
are currently adequate to ensure that the pipeline facilities subject 
to the regulations will not present a hazard to public safety or the 
environment. PHMSA completed the required review and reported its 
results in a Report to Congress on June 23, 2008. To review the Report, 
log on to http://www.phmsa.dot, click on ``Pipeline Safety Community,'' 
then click on ``Reports to Congress.'' In conducting this review, PHMSA 
identified the need to emphasize to the regulated community its 
responsibilities with respect to determining the need for internal 
corrosion preventive and mitigative measures. Many technical factors 
interrelate in complex ways to affect the likelihood, location, and/or 
aggressiveness of internal corrosion, including the factors listed 
above.
    Pipeline safety regulations at 49 CFR 195.579(a) require operators 
to determine if the hazardous liquids they are transporting could 
corrode the pipeline and, if so, take adequate steps to mitigate that 
corrosion potential. If an operator fails to take adequate steps to 
mitigate internal corrosion, PHMSA may determine that the operator is 
not in compliance with 49 CFR part 195. Also, if the operator 
erroneously determines the fluid is not corrosive and does not take the 
necessary steps to manage the internal corrosion threat, PHMSA may 
determine that the operator is not in compliance with 49 CFR part 195.
    Although the base commodity may not be corrosive, all hazardous 
liquids regulated under part 195 could be corrosive during some phase 
of the production and/or manufacturing process when contaminants could 
be introduced. Often, the only barrier separating untreated product or 
corrosive materials from a pipeline transporting processed/refined 
products

[[Page 71090]]

is the processing plant or refinery. These plants occasionally undergo 
upset conditions where all or a portion of the untreated product may 
bypass the treatment process and enter the downstream piping. During 
those upset conditions, corrosive materials might be introduced into 
the pipeline and could create a corrosive condition.
    Pipeline operators who previously concluded that an internal 
corrosion control program was not needed should critically re-analyze 
operating conditions and internal corrosion risk factors as described 
in this advisory and periodically monitor, or otherwise reconfirm, that 
the pipeline is free of corrosive materials. Operators should perform a 
periodic system analysis and document the results, confirming that they 
properly analyzed the pipeline for possible internal corrosion 
precursors. In addition, operators should also conduct periodic 
monitoring for changes that might increase this risk and identify 
possible sites of selective internal corrosion risks.
    In addition, operators are required to take the following steps as 
part of the operator's integrity management program:
     Examine and record corrosion data;
     Demonstrate an understanding of the risk of internal 
corrosion;
     Identify the locations of greatest risk;
     Conduct integrity assessments that will effectively 
discover pipeline defects caused by internal corrosion;
     Promptly repair or remediate discovered defects;
     Identify the root cause of discovered internal corrosion 
defects; and
     Identify the need for additional or different preventive 
and mitigative measures, through mitigation measures such as online 
pigging for removal of the corrosive materials and injection of 
corrosion inhibitors inline the product stream.
    PHMSA's unique statutory role in pipeline safety allows the agency 
to monitor research and operator performance nationwide and to take 
action through an array of regulatory actions, including this bulletin, 
if incident trends or other findings such as research, deem the actions 
necessary. PHMSA will conduct a workshop on internal corrosion on 
hazardous liquid pipelines in the first quarter of 2009. Information on 
this workshop will be posted on the PHMSA Web site.

II. Advisory Bulletin (ADB-08-08)

    To: Owners or Operators of Hazardous Liquid Transmission Pipelines.
    Subject: Proper Identification of Internal Corrosion Risk.
    Purpose: Notice to Pipeline Owners and Operators.
    Advisory: PHMSA is advising operators of hazardous liquid 
transmission pipelines to review and analyze the following risk factors 
to determine if the commodity transported could corrode the pipeline:
     Type of commodity;
     Flow rate;
     Velocity;
     Operating Pressure;
     Topography;
     Amount of foreign material and/or contaminants present in 
the pipeline and/or commodity stream such as sand, silt, water, or 
other materials that could cause or promote internal corrosion;
     Amount of sulfur, salts, acids, hydrogen sulfide, carbon 
dioxide or other corrosive material present and corrosive effect based 
upon partial pressures of material in the pipeline;
     Presence of microbes;
     Temperature;
     Pipe configuration, design, and material specifications;
     Operating conditions, including but not limited to, steady 
state conditions, slack line conditions, upset conditions in the 
pipeline system, and upset conditions in upstream facilities such as 
refineries or processing facilities; and
     Any other circumstance or condition that could cause, 
promote, or increase the likelihood of internal corrosion.
    Significant changes to any of the above risk factors and 
considerations must be promptly reflected in a revised analysis.
    PHMSA is further advising operators that, in accordance with 49 CFR 
195.589(c), you must maintain a record of the above analysis required 
by 49 CFR 195.579(a) in sufficient detail to demonstrate the adequacy 
of corrosion control measures or that corrosion control measures are 
not necessary. You must retain these records for at least five years. 
The records must be readily available for inspection.

    Issued in Washington, DC on November 17, 2008.
Jeffrey D. Wiese,
Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety.
[FR Doc. E8-27869 Filed 11-21-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-60-P