Abstract
Surfactant corrosion inhibitors are globally applied to upstream production systems in large quantities using batch or continuous treatments. Dosing levels are calculated based on available historical information, spot-testing and territorial or corporate guidelines. These predictions, if incorrect, can lead to critical losses in integrity or problematic emulsions in downstream processing. A number of previous reports have identified that the optimum chemical dose occurs at the Critical Micelle Concentration (CMC) where surfactant aggregates form in the bulk solution. Within this framework, we have developed a new in-situ technique that may be used to detect micelles which are indicative of such optimum dose. Micelle detection can be applied independently of chemical composition and without knowledge of such. The link between micelle presence and optimum dose is conserved with varying environmental conditions. Therefore, this technique has potential to be widely applied and provide valuable information which can complement existing surveillance data. In this paper, this hypothesis will be reviewed and supporting experimental results of the fluorescence-based analysis will be presented. Finally, the current status of the development program will be discussed, the focus of which is translating this rapid and simple test from lab to field.
