Corrosion Center Joint Industry Project

Please contact Bruce Brown for more information on the CC-JIP.

The CC JIP at the Institute for Corrosion and Multiphase Technology includes active projects with a number of new projects being planned.

The Institute for Corrosion and Multiphase Technology houses multiple research testing facilities. Nine large-scale, 10.1 cm (4 inch) I.D., multiphase flow loops are capable of various temperature ranges, pressure ranges, and flow control of multiphase mixtures. A small scale lab with multiple 2 liter glass cells is used to closely research individual parameters’ effects on corrosion. These tests are completed through defined research projects which define and develop mathematical models to be tested and used in large scale experiments.

The duration of individual projects is usually one to three years. As certain projects terminate, others are generated. All projects are conducted by graduate students and supervised by the Project Leader, Bruce Brown, and the Institute Director, Dr. Srdjan Nesic. Projects are integrated into students' MS degrees and PhD degrees. The program is guided by the Advisory Board of companies who sponsor the research work.

The CC JIP is the original research group of the Corrosion Center and currently has many different sponsor companies. Each company is required to sign a contract in return for obtaining first information on research done and rights to corrosion prediction software produced under this program after minimum requirements are met.

Representatives from each member company are invited to the semi-annual Advisory Board meeting to review current research through presentations, tour the facilities, and provide research direction for future testing.

Current CC-JIP Projects

General CO₂ Corrosion in High Salinity Brines

The general CO₂ corrosion rates of C1018 carbon steel are being measured for NaCl concentrations 3 – 25 wt% at temperatures between 5ºC and 25ºC in a non-film forming environment at pH4. The corrosion process is monitored by linear polarization resistance and potentiodynamic sweeps. AC impedance is also used to measure and correct for solution resistance while weight loss was used to verify the corrosion rate magnitude.

Galvanic Effect on Localized CO₂ Corrosion by Artificial Pit Test

Localized CO₂ corrosion of carbon steel is always associated with the breakdown of protective iron carbonate films. The potential difference between the areas with or without protective films is another important factor on localized corrosion. A new artificial pit (AP) design was developed to simulate the localized corrosion and investigate the galvanic effect. Testing is performed in a glass cell containing a new artificial pit design. The anode part and cathode part are monitored with a zero resistance ammeter. The galvanic coupling current and coupling potential are measured at different pit depths, different supersaturation values of iron carbonate, and different solution pH while temperature is fixed.

Erosion-Corrosion and Synergistic Effects in Disturbed Liquid/Particle Flow

Erosion-corrosion is a material degradation process which involves mechanical action (e.g. impact of solid particles) in conjunction with an electrochemical corrosion processes. The combined effects of erosion and corrosion can be significantly higher than the sum of the effects of the processes acting separately. This net effect is called synergism and it is difficult to predict because of the complex interactions between erosion and corrosion. Much of the work done in the past includes jet impingement apparatus or rotating cylinder electrode systems, but the factor of synergism was not always well defined due to the lack of separate measurements of pure erosion, pure corrosion, and erosion-corrosion. Testing will be reported on geometries including a sudden contraction, sudden expansion, and protrusion. Text provided by Josh Addis.

H₂S/CO₂ Corrosion in Multiphase Flow

Removal of Protective Iron Carbonate Films in Single-phase Flow-accelerated Corrosion of Mild Steel

Iron carbonate films (FeCO₃) deposited on steel surfaces as by-products of carbon dioxide corrosion, encountered in oil and gas production and transportation industry, generally provide satisfactory protection from potentially destructive acts of internal pipeline corrosion. However, the protective role of iron films may be hindered by the mechanical and chemical film removal process. The rotating cylinder is frequently used for investigation of this kind of corrosion, as it allows for good control over electrochemical conditions. It is necessary to compare the results with a different configuration. The film dissolution experiments were conducted with the rotating cylinder under different pH and peripheral velocities. Linear Polarization Resistance technique was employed for implicit quantification of film removal rates via corrosion rate monitoring, whereas Scanning Electron microscopy was utilized for the purpose of residual film characterization. More investigation of the film removal process in the flow loop is to be done in the near future. Also the results of the flow loop will be compared with the rotating cylinder.

H₂S Corrosion Electrochemistry

Glass cell experiments conducted to investigate electrochemistry of mild steel corrosion in N₂ or CO₂ purged solutions with low partial pressure of H2S. C1018 carbon steel rotating cylinder electrode specimens are used in the experiments and the corrosion rate is obtained by using the linear polarization resistance method (LPR) and the weight loss method. Potentiodynamic sweeps are used to investigate the mechanism of corrosion under the current test conditions.

Organic Acid/CO₂ Corrosion in Multiphase Flow

Modeling of Corrosion in Multiphase Flow

Goals

To increase knowledge and understanding of internal pipeline corrosion through definition of the problem through theory and testing.

To provide new engineers to the field of corrosion who have had experience with the tools and theory of the corrosion process.

To provide a mechanistic model to document the progress and understanding of the corrosion processes encountered in internal pipeline corrosion.

Deliverables

Tangible

• Biannual reports
• Software package (MULTICORP corrosion prediction software)
• Young engineering graduates fully trained in corrosion

Intangible

• Improved understanding of internal pipeline corrosion
• Improved communication and coordination between experts in the field from all the major oil and gas and inhibitor companies