Recently to improve bitumen recovery efficiency at Cold Lake, diluent is started to be added into the production system. The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of diluent addition on the integrity of Cold Lake pipeline system. Kilometers of this pipeline was operated without any corrosion inhibitor injection or major pipeline integrity challenges in the past 20-30 years. However, since failures in a pipeline system could pose financial and environmental risks, investigating the corrosion likelihood and its magnitude will be crucial in operating this pipeline and developing monitoring and mitigation programs.

To achieve this milestone, we designed a corrosion experimental matrix and tested carbon steel samples coated with Cold Lake bitumen in pressurized autoclaves under aqueous sour environment simulating the pipeline conditions. Results show that the Cold Lake Bitumen effectively protects the pipeline from general corrosion. Despite the higher percentage of diluent combined with the effect of shear leading to partial dissolution of the Cold Lake bitumen coat, only low localized corrosion rate was observed in the laboratory.

Subject
Water, Asphalt, Autoclaves, Wetting, Pipelines, Dissolution, Weight loss coupons, Partial pressures, Produced water, Corrosion protection, Corrosion coupons, Steam, Oil
Keywords:
Corrosion, Diluent, Cold Lake, Bitumen, Canada, Enhanced Oil Recovery
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2021
Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP)
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