Integrity Management on TAPS
Corrosion Coupons

With corrosion prevention and proper maintenance, the pipeline is expected to operate well into the future. Corrosion can impact the safety of the pipeline and the longevity of the entire system if not monitored. Alyeska employs corrosion “coupons” to monitor and measure corrosion on the mainline. These coupons are small thin bars inserted into the oil flow stream and then removed and weighed after a period of time to assess the corrosion rate. Corrosion is the deterioration of metal resulting from a reaction with the environment, which changes the iron contained in pipe to rust. Internal corrosion results from a chemical attack on the interior of the pipe from the product being transported.