Life assessment and repair optimization of the main gas distribution system of Venezuelan-Eastern production have been conducted, using both a defect assessment code and a "Fitness-For-Service"
recommended practice. Defect detection and its sizing were obtained from instrumented-inspection reports of the pipelines, and the defect repair/tolerance criteria were established following the sections 4 and 5 "Assessment of General Metal Loss" and "Assessment of Local Metal Loss" of the Recommended Practice, as well as estimating future operation conditions. Complete gas characterization and damage mechanism of the pipelines have been determined. Preliminary results
have demonstrated significant savings, estimated in fifty million $US in 2000 on repairs and maintenance of internally corroded pipelines after conducting Fitness-For Service (FFS) assessments.