Onshore pipelines are critical components of the supply chain from the production to distribution of oil & gas, and are usually subjected to corrosion attacks. Condition assessment through inspections is crucial to ensure adequate levels of serviceability and safety. The challenge lies in the fact that these inspections are subject to different uncertainties associated with the existence, position, and magnitude of the corrosion defects.

The resolution of the optimization problem aims at defining an inspection schedule targeting the identification of increments and the position of new defects.

The resolution of the optimization problem aims at defining an inspection schedule targeting the identification of increments and the position of new defects. The authors propose a three-stage approach for solving this problem and Artelys Knitro can be leveraged as an off-the-shelf nonlinear solver in this procedure. Based on the new and old defects, some insights about the probability of detection and false alarm are deduced. The results highlight the proposed approach as an interesting tool for pipeline engineers that monitor the evolution of corrosion degradation.