A study was performed to assess the corrosion rate in a gas sweetening plant using electrochemical methods. The tests were performed by using samples of the amine in service. Coupons made of A-106 carbon steel were tested, as this material is tipically used in most vessels. The variables studied included the actual temperature of different plant units at both rich and lean amine conditions, and the degree of CO2 saturation.

The results show an increase of the uniform corrosion rate with temperature, which reflects the effect of heat stable salts in the corrosivity of the amine evaluated. Also, from the analysis of the potentiodynamic curves at different conditions, the risk for Alkaline Stress Corrosion Cracking (ASCC) was assessed. The association of this risk with actual plant conditions shows which vessels are susceptible to both amine corrosion and ASCC which allowed to develop a corrosion profile for both the lean and rich amine parts of the circuit.

Subject
Acids, Circuits, Salts, Corrosion rate, Predicted corrosion rate, Solvents, Heat exchangers, Amines, Sweetening, Heat, Steel, Stress corrosion cracking, Types of corrosion
Keywords:
amine corrosion, gas sweetening, electrochemical methodologies
© 1998 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).
1998
Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP)
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