Horizontal Rotating Cylinder—A Compact Apparatus for Studying the Effect of Water Wetting on Carbon Dioxide Corrosion of Mild Steel

Water wetting is a crucial issue in carbon dioxide (CO₂) corrosion of multiphase flow pipelines made from mild steel. This study demonstrates the use of a novel benchtop apparatus, a horizontal rotating cylinder, to study the effect of water wetting on CO₂ corrosion of mild steel in two-phase flow. The setup is similar to a standard rotating cylinder except for its horizontal orientation and the presence of two phases—typically water and oil. The apparatus has been tested by using mass-transfer measurements and CO₂ corrosion measurements in single-phase water flow. CO₂ corrosion measurements were subsequently performed using a water/hexane mixture with water cuts varying between 5% and 50%. While the metal surface was primarily hydrophilic under stagnant conditions, a variety of dynamic water wetting situations was encountered as the water cut and fluid velocity were altered. Threshold velocities were identified at various water cuts when the surface became oil-wet and corrosion stopped.