ABSTRACT
Scale and corrosion testing under high shear flow conditions, and selection of effective inhibitors, is of increasing importance in oilfield production. Evaluation of inhibitors using an impinging jet technique to generate high shear conditions is well-known with regard to corrosion, but has recently been adapted to apply to inorganic scale processes. This paper demonstrates the utility of the technique in assessing scale deposition and corrosion in the same system and under the same hydrodynamic conditions, and the effect of inhibitors on the two processes.
The results illustrate scale and corrosion processes occurring simultaneously in the same system and how these are affected by the system hydrodynamics. Both scale inhibitor and corrosion inhibitor performance were found to be affected by the flow conditions with higher concentrations of each being required as surface shear stress was increased. The impact of both types of inhibitor being present in the system together was also investigated.
The jet impingement test method therefore provides an additional laboratory technique that can be used to evaluate both scale deposition and corrosion under very high shear stresses that cannot be readily achieved by alternative approaches. This work also highlights the importance of testing under field representative conditions and advances the understanding of inhibitor performance in these systems.
