The American Petroleum Institute (API) Standard 570 is the most widely used Industry Standard for process piping inspection, repair, and reconstruction. The code does not cover inspection, repair, or alteration procedures for specialty equipment or equipment that has been decommissioned. However, piping systems that are temporarily out of service and may be recommissioned in the future are covered by API 570. API RP 574 is a supplement to API 570 that provides knowledge and best practices to help practitioners inspect pipe and standard piping components more efficiently.

External Corrosion Direct Assessment ( ECDA)  is a four-step process ( Pre-assessment, Indirect Inspections, Direct Assessment & Post Assessment) that includes localized inspections to validate the integrity of a pipeline in relation to a time-dependent degradation mechanism. ECDA is the most economical option to assess the integrity of unpiggable pipelines.