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Publisher Society of Petroleum Engineers Language English

Document ID 17004-PA
DOI
10.2118/17004-PA
Content Type Journal Paper
Title Corrosion in Oil and Gas Production
Authors R.N. Tuttle, SPE, Shell Oil Co.
Journal Journal of Petroleum Technology
Volume Volume 39, Number 7 Pages 756-762
Date July 1987
Copyright 1987. Society of Petroleum Engineers
Discipline
Categories
none
Preview Distinguished Author Series articles are general, descriptive representations that summarize the state of the art in
an area of technology by describing recent developments for readers who are not specialists in the topics discussed.
Written by individuals recognized as experts in the area, these articles provide key references to more definitive
work and present specific details only to illustrate the technology. Purpose: to inform the general readership of
recent advances in various areas of petroleum engineering.
Summary. Corrosion is an important and costly problem in the petroleum industry, requiring special considerations in
the design of production equipment. Severe environments involving CO2 or H2S pose particular difficulties. Four
types of corrosion exist: weight loss, stress corrosion cracking (SCC), corrosion fatigue, and galvanic corrosion.
Design considerations and preventive techniques for each of these corrosion forms are discussed.
Introduction
Corrosion costs the petroleum industry hundreds of millions of dollars each year. A large number of possibilities exist
to reduce or to minimize these costs, but they require a continuous and diligent effort. Corrosion considerations and
appropriate material selections should be an important part of all equipment design, surveillance, and operations
actions, particularly for the high-cost activities of the past few years and anticipated future activities.
Deep hot gas wells, CO2 floods, deepwater offshore platforms, and arctic developments are excellent examples of
cases that have provided many material and corrosion problems and are expected to continue to do so. Significant
technologies have been developed to resolve many of these problems, but much work remains.
Corrosion-What To Expect
Although many material and corrosion problems remain to be solved, previous workers in this field have left a rich
legacy of knowledge on which to build. A brief review of the current knowledge base sets the stage for discussion of
anticipated problems of the future. The forms of corrosion of most importance in oil and gas production are (1)
weight loss, (2) SCC, (3) corrosion fatigue, and (4) galvanic corrosion. Methods that have evolved over the years for
combating corrosion include inhibition, material selection, cathodic or anodic protection, coatings, and control of the
environment.
Weight-Loss Corrosion. Weight-loss corrosion is the most common problem and occurs at some finite rate for all
materials. The rate varies greatly, depending on the susceptibility of the material under the environmental conditions
to which it is exposed. The corrosion occurs as a result of electrochemical reactions between the metal and
corrodents in the environment. This reaction is similar to the one that occurs in a battery. In the case of steel in
acidic environments, iron dissolves at the anode and hydrogen is formed at the cathode. An electrical path (e.g.,
water) is required. One possible chemical reaction is
Fe+2H20 Fe(0H)2 +H2.
In the oil field, water is normally present, often as a brine, and the corrodents are usually CO2, H2S, oxygen, mineral
and organic acids, or other chemicals that affect the pH or cause oxidizing reactions. Corrosion rates in neutral, low-
salinity solutions are normally very low. In contrast, corrosion rates are very high in low-pH solutions that form in the
presence of acidic materials or high CO2 partial pressures. (Partial pressure is calculated by multiplying mole
fraction of CO2 by the system pressure.) Generally, the system is considered corrosive if the partial pressure is
above 15 psi [103 kPaj; however, significant corrosion may occur below this level. The presence of an oxidant, such
as oxygen or free sulfur, causes a significant increase in pitting and crevice corrosion.
JPT
P. 756^
File Size 673 KB Number of Pages 7
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