Severe internal corrosion has been experienced in a number of large diameter multiphase pipelines at Prudhoe Bay. The damage has been attributed to CO2 attack enhanced by slug flow and pipewall roughness.

Utilizing data on flow regimes resulting from field monitoring with gamma densitometers, flow modelling has been carried out using software developed in-house to define a range of field flow conditions in terms of liquid wall shear stress for a number of pipeline features. This same modelling technique has been further used to determine liquid wall shear stress levels for a number of test specimen shapes in a laboratory test loop over a range of flow rates to enable laboratory tests to simulate field conditions.

Laboratory tests were conducted in brine and crude oil/brine mixtures under 0.2 MPa (30 psi) CO2 at 73.9°C (165°F) and corrosion rates were recorded, without use of corrosion inhibitors, as a function of water-cut and shear stress.

Subject
Pits, Water, Corrosion rate, Slug flow, Wall shear stress, Pipelines, Mixtures, Liquids, Stress, Shear, Corrosion modeling, Brines, Oil
© 1991 Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP). All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of AMPP. Positions and opinions advanced in this work are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of AMPP. Responsibility for the content of the work lies solely with the author(s).
1991
Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP)
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