To say that corrosion rate measurement, corrosion detection, and corrosion control monitoring is not an exact science is an understatement. Much has been written about the "hows" and "whens" of corrosion monitoring in the oil field, and usually the techniques advocated or practiced are either "too little, too late", or are "relative values only". Most of the techniques used depend upon a weight/surface area metal dissolution rate which far too often assumes uniform or general corrosion. Actually, in production operations the concern for corrosion and related phenomena is because it causes holes, pits, cracks, or something other than uniform, general corrosion. Also, many of the detecting techniques require surfaces that are specially prepared, i.e., either sandblasted or chemically cleaned, and this surface itself is not representative of the condition exposed to the metal in most petroleum producing wells.
