Two-phase oil-water flow is commonly found in the oil industry. The occurrence of water can lead to internal corrosion of the metallic pipes besides other possible degradation phenomena such as environmentally assisted cracking. When water phase is fully entrained into the oil phase, internal corrosion of carbon steel is not likely to occur. Full entrainment of water into oil depends on operating flow conditions, physicochemical properties of both fluids and phase wetting characteristics for the pipe material used. This paper presents a set of hydrodynamic and phase wetting criteria to assess if free water will be in contact with internal pipe walls; and thus, to primarily determine corrosion risk. Experimental data of oil-water pipe flows is shown and compared with theoretical calculations.

Subject
Pipe surfaces, Water, Piping, Droplets, Water droplets, Flow velocity, Walls, Wetting, Mixtures, Phase wetting, Force, Crude, Oil
Keywords:
oil-water flow, entrainment, phase wetting, corrosion
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2016
Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP)
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