The Pipeline Defect Assessment Manual

The Pipeline Defect Assessment Manual (PDAM)

The Pipeline Defect Assessment Manual (PDAM) is a 473-page engineering manual that gives definitive guidance on the best practices in pipeline defect assessment, and provides users with detailed procedures, methods and equations for the assessment of defects such as corrosion, gouges and dents.

The Pipeline Defect Assessment Manual (PDAM) is the name given to both the manual itself and the joint industry project, involving 49 international sponsors, that produced the manual.

PDAM presents the best currently available methods for the assessment of pipeline defects in a simple and easy-to-use manual and gives guidance on their use. It is based on an extensive critical review of published ‘fitness-for-purpose’ methods and test data. PDAM is intended to be another tool that will assist pipeline engineers in maintaining pipeline integrity.

The PDAM project was launched in 1999 and continues today. As more sponsors join PDAM, the manual is constantly updated. Sponsors can choose to direct effort into any area of pipeline defect assessment that contributes to the manual.  The most recent update (PDAM2 – second edition) was introduced in November 2016 and included:

– New chapter on fatigue assessment guidance;

– A new literature review of mechanical damage fatigue, weld defects, cracking, fracture propagation and subsea integrity issues and associated assessment methods;

– A general update of the manual to improve guidance, clarity and additional worked examples.

In 2024, PDAM2.1 was released. This will reviewed for further updates and discussions are ongoing within the sponsors to expand the scope of PDAM further to align it better with the industry trends towards Hydrogen/ CO2 pipelines and defects in older onshore and offshore pipeline assets, resulting result in PDAM3, which is scheduled for release in Q4 2025.