Pipelines carrying heavy crude oil may be subject to corrosion caused by deposition of sediments, a sludge containing oil, water, and bacteria in a particulate matrix. A standard testing protocol was developed with the participation of five inhibitor vendors. The test protocol includes inhibitor evaluations based on (1) Filming Effectiveness, (2) Partitioning Studies, (3) Sludge Corrosivity and Inhibitor Tests, and (4) Bacterial Kill Studies. The results of the different tests and the relevance of each test with regard to the application are discussed. A successful bacterial kill test approach was established. Initial exposure tests of coupons covered with inhibited sludge in oil are most representative of the pipeline environment, but results were variable. Improvements to the test procedure are presented and explored.

Subject
Pits, Test methods, Water, Inhibitor performance, Corrosion rate, Corrosivity, Steel coupons, Under deposit corrosion, Weight loss coupons, Sludge, Corrosion inhibitors, Brines, Oil
Keywords:
inhibition, underdeposit corrosion, sludge, bacteria
© 2011 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).
2011
Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP)
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