The presence of crude oil in the oil and gas production has a significant effect on the corrosion rates of steel in CO2/H2S containing environments. The crude oil inhibition mechanisms can be combined into two main effects: 1) A chemical effect, related to inhibiting properties of compounds present in the crude oil; and 2) A physical effect, related to the capacity of the oil to prevent the water from contacting the steel surface. This paper presents an overview of the work that has been performed during the last two decades addressing the physical effect of crude oil on corrosion and the models used to describe it. This effect has been traditionally modeled through oil wettability predictions, mostly based on the density of the crude oil, water cut and liquid velocity. Knowledge gaps and disagreements have been identified and further work is recommended in order to establish the key parameters controlling the mechanism, their critical values and interactions. Some of these parameters are: physical-chemical properties of the crude oils and water, water cut, hydrodynamics in multiphase flow conditions, and partial or intermittent coverage of the surface by the crude oils.

Subject
Water, Piping, Viscosity, Corrosion rate, Emulsions, Flow velocity, Slug flow, Wetting, Pipelines, Dispersion, Corrosion modeling, Crude, Oil
Keywords:
CO2, H2S Corrosion, crude oil, multiphase flow, wettability, inversion point
© 2006 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).
2006
Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP)
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