Long-Range Ultrasonic Testing for Corrosion Monitoring in Oil and Gas Pipelines: A Case Study

Pipelines play a vital role in the safe and efficient transportation of hydrocarbons from production sites to processing centers and export terminals. Ensuring their structural integrity is therefore essential to maintain operational safety and protect the environment. However, these systems are often extensive, buried, or exposed to harsh conditions, which makes their inspection and corrosion monitoring particularly challenging. This study focuses on the inspection and monitoring of corrosion in hydrocarbon transport pipelines using Long-Range Ultrasonic Testing (LRUT) technology. LRUT offers a non-destructive solution capable of detecting both internal and external corrosion over long distances, even in areas with limited accessibility. Its guided-wave approach enables comprehensive assessments without requiring direct access to every pipeline segment, making it especially suitable for large-scale and remote infrastructures. Practical results obtained from field inspections conducted in the Hassi Berkine petroleum area are presented and discussed. The findings confirm the effectiveness of LRUT in identifying corrosion defects and assessing wall thickness variations, thereby enhancing the reliability and safety of oil and gas pipeline networks. This work demonstrates that integrating guided-wave ultrasonic techniques into pipeline monitoring programs can significantly improve proactive maintenance strategies, reduce the risk of failures, and support sustainable energy transport operations.