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Proceedings of OMAE’02
Proceedings
21st International Conference on Offshore Mechanics of Engineering
and Arctic OMAE’02
21st International Conference on23–28,
June Offshore
2002, Mechanics
Oslo, Norway
and Artic Engineering
June 23-28, 2002,Oslo, Norway
OMAE2002-28294
OM294
ABSTRACT
In many offshore oil and gas projects under development, The presence of CO2, H2S and free water in unprocessed or
the pipeline costs are a considerable part of the investment and partially processed well streams can cause severe corrosion
can become prohibitively high if the corrosivity of the fluid problems in carbon steel pipelines. The most important factors
necessitates the use of corrosion resistant alloys instead of governing the corrosivity of the well stream are the amount of
carbon steel. Development of more robust and reliable methods CO2 and H2S, temperature and the water chemistry. Selection of
for internal corrosion control can increase the application range corrosion control methods in wet gas pipelines depends to a
of carbon steel and therefore have a large economic impact. large degree on whether any formation water will be transported
in the pipeline, the composition of the water, the degree of
Corrosion control of carbon steel pipelines has traditionally water condensation in the pipeline and whether glycol will be
often been managed by the use of corrosion inhibitors. The pH injected for hydrate control.
stabilization technique has been successfully used for corrosion
control of several large wet gas condensate pipelines in the last When no or very little formation water is transported in the
few years. Precipitation of scale and salts in the pipeline and pipeline the pH stabilization technique can be used for
process equipment creates further challenges when formation corrosion control. This technique is based on an artificial
water is produced. increase in the pH of the water phase by adding pH stabilizing
agents. This promotes precipitation of protective corrosion
Different corrosion prediction models are used in the product films on the steel surface. The pH stabilization
industry to assess the corrosivity of the transported fluid. An technique is currently being considered for several large wet gas
overview of the present models is given together with a link to condensate pipelines.
fluid flow modeling.
When formation water is produced, the possibility for
INTRODUCTION precipitation of scale and salts in the pipeline and process
Multiphase transport will have a major impact on offshore equipment creates further challenges for both pipeline and
development during the next decade. In the past the emphasis process equipment design. Corrosion control of carbon steel
has been on processing the multiphase well stream by pipelines is then often managed by the use of corrosion
separation on platforms situated close to the wells. Drastic inhibitors, but it has been difficult to account for the effects of
reductions in both investments and operating costs can be multiphase flow on corrosion inhibition in laboratory screening
achieved when unprocessed or partially processed multiphase tests. New test methods and equipment are being developed in
well streams are transported in carbon steel pipelines from order to account for the effect of multiphase flow and steel
satellite wells to main platforms, to existing installations on surface conditions.
neighbouring fields or to onshore processing facilities. Field
development by subsea installations or only partial processing
topside followed by transport in carbon steel pipelines represent
the only economical solutions for many gas fields.