Abstract
This paper discusses practical aspects of the design and implementation of a corrosion inhibition program for oil and gas production, including choice of system, inhibitor testing and selection, performance monitoring, and inhibition problems. Corrosion inhibition is used to ensure safe operations and to improve profits. This paper focuses on the economic aspects of inhibition. The type of failures discussed here involve loss of production or assets, but not catastrophic failures (eg, well blow-out) where safety or environmental factors predominate. Corrosion failures must be economically significant to justify the implementation of a downhole corrosion inhibition program. Inhibition is one of several alternative methods for controlling corrosion. The choice of method is driven by both economical and technical considerations. The criteria include: technical competence, feasibility of implementation, compatibility with the rest of the production system, and initial and maintenance costs. The design of a corrosion inhibition program involves several steps from inhibitor selection to performance monitoring. Each step of the process must be carefully addressed to ensure the success of the program.
